


Levi's Musings

by Samtoinette



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, M/M, Nonbinary Hange Zoë, Omega Verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2017-05-16
Packaged: 2018-10-25 21:56:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 32,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10773246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samtoinette/pseuds/Samtoinette
Summary: We've all read the story from Eren's point of view, but what was Levi thinking the entire time?I'm following the manga while writing this, but from Levi's perspective. I've also tried to paraphrase what people were talking about, cause that's a lot of dialogue to type!Other pairings may be added in the future.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in about a decade or so now, but I've been so caught up in Ereri that I felt the need to write a fanfic of my own. I caught up on the anime (Season 2 is out, yay!) and when that wasn't enough, I indulged in the manga, fanfics, and doujins. Some were inspiration for this.
> 
> The Omegaverse is pretty much secondary to the rest of the story... While I was typing, it just occurred to me that I kept wanting to write about scents and smells, so I decided to go back and throw that in. I've also yet to decide who's what, but personally I can't see Levi being the bottom... That's just me.
> 
> I've actually been typing nonstop for about 4 hours now, and have two chapters ready for this. The title may change, and the rating probably will too.  
> I have another idea for a different one too, so I may type that up at the same time. We'll see. I can't promise anything.

They'd been coming back from a failed mission. Many wounded or missing soldiers that had been consumed while they were out. The usual insults were hurled their way, but they kept riding through the streets of Shiganshina.

  
Levi had glanced over at the hopeful looking children and muttered "Tch. Noisy little brats." Hange had said something about how they'd be heartbroken to find out he was anal-- In the strictly clean sort of way.  
He overheard the conversation of the men in front of the brats, '...our taxes could be better spent than on them soldiers, what a waste,' and '.... our taxes only serve to fatten them up (by which he meant the Titans) by sending out our men as free meals.'

  
Levi startled and glanced over when he heard a loud "Hoh?!" The brunette boy had kicked the guy. Levi's eyes widened imperceptively at the action and watched as the girl dragged the boy away from the man shouting and chasing after them.

  
His face fell back into its neutral expression, but he couldn't help but chuckle.

  
_That kid will be a terror when he grows up._

  
Other than that, the only thing he knew was that he'd never be able to forget those defiant green eyes.

 

 

  
It had been five years since then.

Now, Levi flew through Trost on his 3DMG, rapidly slicing the napes off Titans. Commanding his squad, he took off for another Titan, then another.  
He'd joined the fight after hearing Commander Pixis' speech. He didn't fully understand what was going on, but he knew he needed to protect his comrades.  
Glancing toward the now-plugged hole, he saw 3 kids being surrounded by Titans. He flew over as fast as he could and sliced their napes off one by one.

  
Standing on the body of a Titan, he heard a very quiet mumble, "Wings of... Freedom..." and he glanced behind him at the kids.

  
"Hey... You brats... This is... Er-- What kind of situation is this?"

He'd have to wait for a response. They were as dumbfounded as he was.

 

 

The district was trashed. Body parts and bodies tossed about haphazardly. It took days to clean up the mess.

  
The kid that had been pulled out of the Titan's body was taken to the court jail to await trial. Levi had been updated on the situation, though it sounded unbelievable. He was a Titan? Either way, he joined Erwin to meet the kid.

  
He leaned up against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Erwin spoke from the chair beside him to the kid in the cell, "You were in a coma for three days, to wake up now?" He gave the kid a minute to respond, but he seemed speechless, so Erwin continued, "Eren, do you have any questions?"

  
_Eren, huh? Odd name..._ Levi thought. Though he probably couldn't say anything; he'd known a guy named Farlan.

 

He was brought back to reality when the kid spoke up.

  
"Uhm... Where am I?" The smell of panic was wafting through the air, and just rose higher when he rattled the chain on his wrist.

  
"You can probably see for yourself, but this is an underground cell. You're currently under the police's responsibility. This is the first time we've been able to speak to you." Erwin responded. Levi glanced over at the guard, who flinched.

  
_Am I the only one who can smell him...?_ Levi discreetly sniffed the air. Despite the pungent aroma of mold (did they ever clean this place?) he could pick up what smelled like freshly fallen rain and gardenias. Seemed a bit odd for a male to smell like flowers, but whatever. Unfortunately, it was muted by the sour smell of panic.

  
"What's next? What about the trainees who were with me?!" His voice was rising, more panic rising from his scent.

  
Erwin cleared his throat, "We're hearing them out. Them and anyone else who'd know about your past." Erwin answered. He pulled out the kid's key from his pocket as he continued, "Things won't change much from how things have been so far."

  
"Hey... That key, I know it." The sour stench died down considerably once he assured his friends were safe.

  
"Of course you do, it's yours." Erwin had a smile in his voice. "You can have it back later... In Doctor Jaeger's basement in Shiganshina, there's the answer to the Titan question, correct?"

  
"I think so... At least that's what my father said."

  
_'Father' not 'Dad,' huh? Are they estranged?_ Levi was no stranger to estrangement... He'd never known who his father was and once his mom was dead, he was picked up by his uncle... Only to be left alone a few years later once he'd learned 'life skills'.

  
Levi scoffed, "You lose your memory, and daddy goes missing, eh? How convenient."

  
Erwin looked at Levi, his gaze sharp, "I thought we'd established he has no reason to lie..." Turning his attention back to Eren, he continued, "There are still a few things I'd like to know, but what I want to know now is what you want."

  
"What I want...?" The kid's voice sounded small.

  
"In order to inspect your house, we'd need to blockade the hole in the other wall. That'd require use of your Titan power. This key... Could allow humanity to escape the tyranny of the Titans." Erwin sounded serious.

  
"....I.... I-uh...." The kid stammered. He seemed to be lost in thought for a few minutes.

  
Levi finally scoffed, "Hello, we don't have all day, you piece of trash. What do you want?" This was the first time he'd really turned his full attention to the prisoner. The kid was shaking, and when he looked up, Levi recognized those eyes. The eyes of a monster, the eyes of defiance, the eyes... he'd seen five years ago. His smell emanated pure rage and hatred. It smelled like burning flesh... A smell he knew because that's how they had to get rid of bodies the Titans had devoured sometimes. Levi flinched at the sudden change in demeanor, his eyes widened, anticipating his response.

  
"I wanna join the Scouting Legion.... And murder all the Titans, Sir."

  
"Huh.... Not bad." Levi responded. "Erwin, tell the authorities I'll vouch for him." He'd reached the cell by now, his hand on the cold steel bar. "I don't trust him, but I want to be around to kill him in case he starts killing our comrades." He looked the kid in the eye as he continued, "I'm sure the top brass will agree that I'm the only one fit for the job."

Erwin sighed softly, only Levi could hear it. "Alright, son, you're in. Consider yourself a member of the Scouting Legion." Erwin and Levi started making their way out, "Stay put here for a while, we'll try to talk sense into the authorities." They left without another word.

 

 

As Levi and Erwin walked back, the air was tense.

  
"What?" Levi finally broke the silence as they reached their offices, a bite to his tone.

  
"Really, Levi... You've never taken an interest in anyone before..." Erwin mused.

  
"Yeah, and?" Levi pressed.

  
"Why the sudden interest in this kid?"

  
"I saw his eyes..." Levi responded quietly.

  
"His eyes?" Erwin questioned again.

  
Levi sighed softly and stopped just outside his own office as he responded, "You remember when you found me and roped me in to the Scouting Legion?" Erwin nodded- It wouldn't be hard to remember, it was only five years ago after all. "I saw him back then... His eyes were defiant, but there was no hatred. Today, he had the same look in his eyes that I did when I was his age. He's been through hell, he's seeking revenge, and he needs discipline to keep him in line and teach him who's his authority figure. Plus, I know I can handle anything he throws at me."

  
Erwin stared at Levi for a moment, searching his eyes, before finally nodding and clapping Levi on the back. "Then I hope his trial goes our way..." He spoke softly, and turned to head to his own office.

Now sitting on his desk chair, Levi stared at the tea in his mug. What was it about Eren? He'd never felt so drawn by anyone before. He was socially awkward, he didn't know how to be polite, and it was easier to be hated than try to make nice with everyone, but this was one kid... He didn't want Eren to hate him. The thoughts were confusing.

  
He finished his tea quickly, and turned to the door. Much as he couldn't stand them, he needed to talk to Hange. Maybe they'd know something he didn't... Assuming he could get them to stop rambling on about their research long enough to get onto the topic. Quickly rinsing his mug and setting it out to dry, he grabbed his cloak and was out the door before a pin could drop.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren's Trial

In the end, Hange had been too excited about researching and working with a human/Titan hybrid to have a real discussion.

 

Levi sighed softly through his nose and watched as Eren was lead into the court room and made to kneel on the platform. This was always humiliating, no matter who you were. He clicked his tongue as the bar was set to prevent Eren from getting up. This much precaution was unnecessary, not that anyone would listen. He watched silently, his face impassive. Eren's scent was filled with the bite of fear, and he caught a glance from Erwin who raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.  
  


"Let's begin." A sharp voice cut through the quiet chatter of the room, bringing Levi out of his thoughts, as Generalissimo Zacklay took his seat. "You're Eren Jaeger, correct? And you're a soldier who pledged to sacrifice your life for the cause if needed, right?"

  
"Yes, Sir..." Eren's voice was loud, but insecure. Who could blame him, this trial was to determine his life or eventual death, after who knows how long of research and possible torture-- Not that he knew about the latter.

  
"The usual law doesn't apply since this is a special case. The Military Council is now in order and the right to pass judgement on you rests in my hands. I'll be deciding your life or death, right here and right now. Any objections?"

  
"No, Sir!" Eren sounded dejected.

  
"I'm glad you understand. This unprecedented case has stirred controversy inside these walls and clashing viewpoints. Some people call you a demon who'll be our undoing, while others consider you a savior and our guide to hope.  
It was impossible to keep your existence a secret. When news of your existence reaches the public's ears, it'll cause panic over the possibility of human Titans within our walls. We'll be deciding which military division will be dealing with you in the future and what proceedings will be taken from then on. Those two divisions are the Military Police, or the Scouting Legion.  
Let's hear from the Military Police first."

  
Nile Dawk announced who he was and spoke up, "We think swift disposal is in order after thorough research on Eren's body is done." Levi bit back a growl at that. Anyone who's different gets thrown to the wolves by these people. Dawk continued, "If his existence was acknowledged, the damage inflicted on society could be catastrophic. Considering the differing viewpoints, we could have a Civil War on our hands. Even though his Titan power helped us, his existence isn't harmless. This issue has gained too much political weight. I say we get what information we can out of him, and name him a war hero who sacrificed himself in the line of duty."

  
The priest of the wall cult, Pastor Nick, spoke up then, "No, he's a pest that infiltrated our divine walls, he should be executed at once."

  
"Order, Pastor Nick." Zacklay reprimanded. "Now we'll hear from the Scouting Legion."

  
Erwin introduced himself and continued, "We officially ask Eren to join us and use his Titan abilities to help reclaim Wall Maria. That's all I have to say."

  
"Really?" Zacklay questioned.

  
"Yes, Sir." Erwin responded. "Retaking Wall Maria using his Titan power is possible-- I think that's the preferable option here."

  
The conversation took a turn. Questions about how that mission would go, and once Erwin responded, the Scouting Legion was turned upon by an angry citizen, "All the districts should be completely walled up, the gates are the weak point that the Collosal Titan can get through! You don't give a damn about us, you just want more territory! You only spout idealistic nonsense that'll be our demise! You've no right to be called heroes anymore!"

  
Levi sighed in annoyance and spoke up, "Okay, you swine. Where's the guarantee Titans won't attack while we're walling up all the gates? and by 'we' that obviously means me and my friends who'll risk their lives protecting you, while you fatten yourself up in safety. Due to the lack of land, there are people starving, but you don't think about that do you, pigs?"

  
"I...I was just saying we should wall the gates..."

  
"Blasphemy!" Pastor Nick jumped in, "The walls were granted to us by Lord! It's not in our human right to maim it!"

  
Zacklay cleared his throat loudly, "Let's get back to business... Eren, I have a question for you. There's hope for you to join the Scouting Legion, however, do you really believe you can put your Titan power to good use?"

  
"Y-yes, Sir! I do!" Eren's voice was strong and confident.

  
"That's fine and all... But this report says you tried to swing at Mikasa Ackerman three times after transformation.... Is Mikasa Ackerman here?"Zacklay looked around until a girl piped up.

  
"I'm here, Sir..." Mikasa replied.

  
"Is it true that Eren attacked you?"

  
"Yes, that's true..." Mikasa said sadly. Chatter erupted in the courtroom and Mikasa continued, "However," She spoke that loudly to get everyone's attention. "Before that, Eren in his Titan form saved me twice."

  
"While that's true," Dawk spoke up. "I believe there's a lot of bias and not enough objectiveness in your reports. Six years ago, when they were both nine years old, they stabbed three adult robbers to death. It was legitimate self-defense, however that kill raises doubts about Eren's human nature. Should we really trust him?"

  
More chatter erupted throughout the courtroom, louder than ever. Finger pointing, pleas to kill Eren and be done with it.  
"That goes for her too! I have doubts she's even human!" He was pointing at Mikasa, and other people agreed with 'She should be executed on the spot.'

  
Levi could smell Eren's panic rising with the fearful cries of those present, but once they mentioned killing Mikasa, he yelled out, "NO!!!!"

 

  
Everyone turned their attention to him and he continued, "I mean, please don't. I may be a monster, but Mikasa has nothing to do with that!" He'd finally snapped. "You know what? All you've done is speculate and guess what was convenient for you. You'll get nowhere if you ignore the truth. What are you all scared of, anyway? You've never seen a Titan in your lives! What if the strong stop fighting for you? If you're too scared to fight, then support those who'll do it for you. You damn spineless cowards... Stop fighting already, and trust in me!!!"

  
Guns were pulled, ready to execute him on the spot. Levi leaped over the railing and slammed his foot into Eren's face. A tooth went flying and he swallowed the lump in his throat, but he didn't stop there and backhanded his head so hard he fell forward. Levi's heart clenched and he ignored the worry Eren would hate him after this. Luckily, everyone was watching Eren so no one noticed the look of shock that crossed his face at the realization that he really didn't want the kid to hate him.

  
His face fell back into its emotionless mask, as he gripped Eren by the hair and slammed his knee into his face. Eren slumped to the floor and Levi pressed his boot on top of his head.

"This is just my opinion," Levi spoke clearly. "But when it comes to discipline, I believe pain is most effective." Mostly turning his attention to Eren, his voice dropped an octave, "What you need isn't a lecture, it's a practical lesson. Plus, you're an easy target for kicking since you're crouching." Levi kicked Eren repeatedly in the stomach- ignoring the tightening knot in his own- and when Eren looked up with a look of anger, Levi's boot slammed into his face.

  
"Wait, Levi... It's dangerous." Dawk spoke up, "What if you're inviting his hatred and he releases his Titan power?"

  
"What do you mean?" Levi responded, leaning against Eren's head. His fingers stroked through Eren's hair before he lightly gripped it. He didn't want to hurt Eren anymore if he could help it. He continued, looking at Dawk, "Weren't you going to dissect him?"

  
Levi looked around at the people and smirked, "You know, after he transformed, he killed twenty Titans before he collapsed. He could mean trouble for the police if he were to oppose you, because he has intelligence. If that happens, he'll be your problem and not mine. What will you do then? Everyone's been picking on him, and they should consider something. Will you be able to kill him if you fought him?"

  
Erwin turned his attention to Zacklay, "Generalissimo Zacklay, I have a proposition. Eren's abilities are unknown and cause fear. If he's put under Levi's care, he'll be able to take countermeasures should the need arise. Levi will handle the issues accordingly at the crucial moment."

Levi watched as Eren trembled and gasped for air on the platform. He felt sick to his stomach about having to beat the brat up like that, even if it was for his own good. His knees almost gave out before he shot back to attention at Zacklay's next words.

"Will you really be able to deal with him, Levi?"

  
"I've no doubt in my ability to kill him. The problem is that there's no other option." Levi glanced at Mikasa. If looks could kill, he'd have been torn apart by wolves, set on fire, and sent straight to Hell just by her glare... Not necessarily in that order.

  
There was some more conversation at that point, but it all went in one ear and out the other. Levi was more concerned with his new charge being in such a state.

  
"It's decided, then." Zacklay spoke and Levi returned his attention to him. "Eren Jaeger is to be put into the Scouting Legion."

 

 

After that stupid trial was finally over, Levi was leaning against the wall, but he was bent forward a bit. He didn't want to show his face to anyone until he knew his emotions wouldn't show on his face. Once he took a few deep breaths and felt he was in control, he plopped next to Eren on the sofa, his arm resting behind the brat and crossed his legs. "Say, Eren..." He was hurt that Eren had flinched.

  
"Y-yes?" Levi felt a pang in his heart at the smell of distress coming off Eren.

  
Levi looked at Eren out of the corner of his eye, and asked quietly, "Do you hate me?"

  
"N-no, I understand the act had to be believable."

  
Levi audibly sighed in relief, looking to his lap and spoke softly, "Good..."

  
Hange made a big deal out of his tooth being knocked out and looked in his mouth. Levi leaned forward to keep an eye on Hange, should they try anything. His tooth was already growing back.

 

They didn't have much time to prepare the horses and set out. Levi stared at Eren the entire ride, lost in his own thoughts.

 

_Why am I the only one that can smell him? Why do I care so much about how he feels about me? What's going on in my head? What's wrong with me?_

  
He never found the answers, so he finally shut his brain down and continued following behind Eren, glancing at him often.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cleaning the castle!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god, thanks for the kudos! I really appreciate it!

They were approaching the HQ, and Oluo was, as usual, spouting some nonsense and trying to sound like Levi.

Eren glanced at Levi, seeing him watching, and he quickly flipped back around. Was he nervous? Guess it made sense-- He was there to make sure Eren didn't do anything stupid, and if he did, kill him... Though Levi didn't really have any intention to do that. He'd find another way... He had to.

 

  
They'd finally arrived at the castle. His squad complaining about the conditions. All it needed was some cleaning and elbow grease. They needed to quit their whining, cleaning wasn't horrible.

"Get to work, then, on the double." Levi responded and was met with groans from his entire squad. He overheard some mumbles about how he was a cleaning nazi... Well, there were worse things to be. Like a giant that ate people for no reason. Oh, whoops. He glanced at Eren who gave a nervous smile. Despite that, Levi couldn't smell any distress coming from him. Maybe he was happier to be here than dead. Heh.

Levi smirked back and cleared his throat. "You heard me Jaeger, get moving!" Eren squeaked in surprise and hurriedly made his way inside. Levi shook his head. It was kind of fun to tease him.

He waltzed inside himself and joined the rest of the squad to clean. It was going to be a long, uneventful day.

 

  
Levi had just opened a window to air an upper room out when he quietly sniffed the air. _Eren._ Then he clicked his tongue at himself. Why did he suddenly feel his stomach twist in knots.

"I'm finished cleaning upstairs, Sir. May I ask where I'm sleeping?" Eren had calmed down a lot since the trial. He seemed to be getting used to the people around him, though Levi couldn't see him getting used to Oluo anytime soon. That stupid wannabe had tried to imitate Levi since he joined the Scouts. As if he was worth imitating. That dumbass didn't know what he'd been through. If he had-- No, if he had, Oluo would be dead now.

Levi's ignored the pain in his chest when he responded to Eren's question, "You're in the dungeon." He turned from the window and met Eren's disappointed gaze. He kept his expression neutral. He didn't want Eren down there either. Of course, if he had his way.... No, let's not go there.  _He's a teenager, Levi. A teenager!_

"Again?" Eren's eyes widened, and his scent added in what smelled strongly of rotting lemons. The smell of disappointment. Levi crinkled his nose. It almost made him want to gag. Eren looked at him with a bewildered expression and Levi realized his expression had slipped into pity. Oops. He cleared his throat, busying himself with cleaning dust off the windowsill.

"Yeah, you can't control yourself. If you turn into a Titan in your sleep, we'll be able to restrain you in the dungeon." Levi sighed and continued, his voice softening, "That's a condition we had to accept when you were released to us."  
_To me._ Levi thought. He had to bite back a growl, his next words a bit raspy. He hoped Eren wouldn't notice. "It's a rule we need to abide by." He continued. He glanced at Eren, his face had fallen. He was looking through Levi at nothing in particular. Levi swallowed a lump in his throat, "I'll check the rooms you finished, you start cleaning in here."

  
Levi walked up the stairs and slumped against the wall. Poor kid couldn't catch a break... Though he was alive, at least that was something. He also wasn't going through the same hell Levi had, though it was obvious the kid had been through the ringer. It was remarkable how he remained so normal despite the circumstances. Levi steeled himself and went to check the rooms.

He ran his finger over the bookshelf in one and wrinkled his nose at the dust left on his finger. He called this cleaning? He could still see dirt on the floor, and a few cobwebs on the ceiling.  _Damn brat needs to learn how to clean._ He supposed it was understandable to an extent. The kid hadn't had a house to clean in 5 years.

Sighing, he made his way back downstairs, but walked quieter when he heard Petra talking to Eren.

  
"He's not what people expect to see." Petra went on, "He doesn't look like a flawless hero. He's short, tense, rude, and unapproachable."

 _I'M rude?_ Levi scoffed quietly. Wasn't it ruder to talk bad about someone behind their back? Not that she was wrong... Ugh, women. Do they ever stop gossiping? He knew Petra liked him. If she thought so poorly of him, he wondered why. Hmph. Maybe she'd caught how often he glances at Eren and is trying to pull a preemptive strike. Levi pulled out of his thoughts and he kept listening to the conversation.

  
"What I found unexpected," Eren was speaking now, "is that he obeys his superiors' orders."  
Levi felt his shoulders relax some. Eren didn't expect him to be something he wasn't... That was nice. Although, Levi had learned there are some authorities you don't mess with. His uncle, for one.

 

"You thought since he's strong and influential he wouldn't follow orders?" Petra responded.

 

"Yeah... I didn't expect him to submit to anyone." Eren answered.

 

"I don't know the details, but it seems he used to be like that," Petra continued, "I heard before joining the Scouting Legion, he was a widely renowned thug in the Underground. Seems he was roped in by Commander Erwin."

 

"Eren." Levi said sharply enough to get their attention. Petra jumped. That was satisfying. He bit back a smirk.  
_Who's tense and rude now, huh?_

 

"Y-Yes Sir?!" Eren squeaked. How cute... Does he think he's in trouble?

 

Levi's bad mood stemmed from Petra gossiping about him like that, but the look on his face worked for a terrible cleaning job as well.  
"Redo the cleaning upstairs. It's atrocious."

 

Eren nodded quickly and ran upstairs. Levi slowly walked his way over to Petra, not bothering to hide his annoyed smirk. "So, I'm rude and unapproachable, huh?" Petra squeaked and turned to face him with wide eyes.

 

She bowed low, "I'm sorry, Sir! It won't happen again!"

 

"See that it doesn't." Levi spoke sharply, "Now clean the sheets."

 

"But.. They've already been cleaned, Sir..." Petra responded hesitantly.

 

"Did I ask if they'd already been cleaned?" Levi responded with irritation. "I said clean them, so clean them." She whimpered a bit and scurried out of the room mumbling a 'right away, Sir'. Levi sighed and rubbed his temples. He wasn't cut out to keep so many stupid people in line.

 

 

After dinner, Levi was drinking tea while his squad rambled incessantly. His glance kept returning to Eren. He'd interjected when they asked him questions, but his mind was entirely elsewhere. Petra had made him sound so unappealing. Wait, why did he care? It's not like Eren had a choice in this matter... It was this or death. Still, Levi didn't want Eren to think of him as rude or unapproachable. He was brought out of his reverie by a 'Hey, Eren!' and his head snapped up to watch Eren.

 

"How does it feel to become a Titan?"

 

"My memories of transforming aren't reliable, but it's like having a bad fever and to transform, I have to hurt myself..." Eren trailed off and stared at his hand.

 

Levi cleared his throat, "You know you won't get anything out of him other than what's in the reports. Though, that won't stop 'them' from trying. Their messing with you might be the death of you." Levi had a shiver run down his spine the minute those words left his lips. Yes... He'd definitely need to keep a close eye on Hange... Eren won't die on his watch. 

 

"Them?" Eren inquired.

 

As if on queue, the door to the dining hall slammed open with a sing-songy, "Good evening, Levi's Squad! How's life in the castle?!"

 

"Them." Levi stated, watching Eren and jutting his chin in Hange's direction.

 

"Squad leader Hangi..." Eren greeted, albeit cautiously.

 

"I'm in charge of researching Titans we captured! I want your help tomorrow, if that's okay?" Hange's eyes were wide with excitement.

 

"I'm not sure how I could he---" Eren started, but Hange cut him off.

 

"You can be my cheerleader!" As if that was an explanation. Hange was vibrating in their seat.

 

"Well... I can't give the okay. I'm not free to decide such things." Eren stated.

 

"Levi!" Levi shuddered at his name being called like that. "What's Eren doing tomorrow?!"

 

"Cleaning the yard." Levi stated simply, deadpanned.

 

"Alright! See you tomorrow, Eren!" Hange shook his hand so hard it looked like it'd fall off.

 

Levi smirked in sick amusement. "Hear that, everyone? Thanks to Hangi, you'll all be cleaning the yard." The collection of groans made him feel oddly satisfied. What was it about torturing people like this that was so much fun?

 

Eren asked about their experiments and the rest of the squad groaned, Levi included, and left the table. _Eren should be fine with Hangi for one evening... Right?_

 

Levi sat at his desk, his head in his hands. He was staring at nothing in particular.  
He felt empty. What was this feeling? It was nothing new-- He'd been empty most of his life. What was weird, was that he actually felt it. He'd never felt empty before, even if he knew he was. Once his mom passed on, he had felt empty his entire life. He felt less empty when Isabel and Farlan were around... But once they died, the emptiness hit him again. He didn't really care about anyone. People thought he cared about Erwin, but why would he? Sure, Erwin gave him a purpose when his life had none, and he was grateful for that, but other than that he didn't really care too much. Eyebrows was a respected man and held a lot of power, which is why Levi respected him. But he really could care less about the man.

  
Levi sighed and shook his head vigorously. No need to think of that, he needed to figure out a way to keep Eren alive, even if he went on a rampage. Killing Eren... God, he couldn't even bring himself to consider the possibility. The kid was like a light in his otherwise dark and dreary life. He pulled out some papers and started drawing to get some ideas, writing others down on a clean sheet.

 

After brainstorming for a few hours, he stretched out his aching limbs and decided to hit the sack. Sleep eluded him. He wondered if any of his ideas would work. He smirked.  _Hey kid, nice to meet ya! Are you ready to be maimed to save you from death at my hand?_ Yeah... Lovely thought.

He groaned when there was a knock on his door. He'd been in his bed all of two hours. "Come in." He called with annoyance.

 

Eren poked his head through the door and Levi was up like a shot. The kid was nervous. Probably didn't want to wake Levi up. "Umm... Hange's assistant said their research Titans were killed..." He said it softly and he was obviously fidgeting behind the door. Levi was a few steps from the door when he forced himself to stop and rooted his feet in place. His instincts were roaring at him to soothe the brat. Levi swallowed hard.

 

"Alright, go tell the others. We leave in ten." Levi was getting dressed before Eren had closed the door to run off. Was this weird obsession ever going to end? He looked at his fingers a moment. They itched. Why were they itching? An image of him running his fingers through those messy brown locks invaded his thoughts. He let out an involuntary gasp and shook his head. 

Levi finished getting ready and ran downstairs to the horses to wait for the others. He leaned his head against his mare's and brushed her mane with his fingers. That image popped back into his mind and he ignored it. He stifled a yawn-- no sleep. He'd gotten no sleep. He was already grumpy... Now he was grumpier. _Stupid Petra..._ Rude, tch. It wasn't her fault he hadn't slept, but it wasn't so easy to get that conversation out of his head. He stood up straight when everyone joined him and they took off to see Hange's dead subjects.

 

Hange was freaking out about their dead subjects. There wasn't really anything they could do, so Levi said they should get going. Erwin stopped Eren to talk to him, and Levi stopped in his tracks to watch the two. An odd feeling bubbled up in his gut and he had to bite back a growl as he saw Erwin squeeze Eren's shoulder as he walked off.  
This was getting out of hand.... The brat was sixteen for gods sake... Why would he feel this protective and jealous over a teenager? He sighed in resignation.

_I'm fucked._


	4. Chapter 4

Levi growled as he rubbed his temples.

Everything was going by so fast. It'd been about 3 weeks since Eren's Titan training had begun, and now they were heading out on a mission.  
He was worried. What if Eren didn't make it out alive?

He'd figured out the plan to get Eren out of his Titan body without killing him, though it'd require cutting off his hands and feet. It was better than death, and with his Titan ability, they'd grow back like a freaking lizard. When he'd told Eren of the plan, he'd smelled distressed. Levi tried cracking a joke about the limbs regrowing, but Eren didn't relax at all. Levi guessed it'd still hurt like a bitch.

  
The beginning of his 'training' had been rough.

Hange had released the flare for Eren to transform, but nothing happened. Hange wondered "Maybe he didn't see the signal."

"He saw it." Levi responded. He'd have felt worried except that Eren was in an empty well-- Not much could hurt him down there. "Something must have gone wrong." Hange called off the experiment for now, and they and Levi walked over to check on Eren. Levi felt his heart stop for a moment with how much blood covered Eren from his transformation attempts.

They'd finally taken a break for lunch, but Levi was annoyed that Eren couldn't transform. He gingerly took Eren's hands and disinfected them, trying to ignore Eren's winces. He'd pumped out calming pheromones and he noticed Eren visibly relaxed. Eren mumbled a quiet 'sorry' while Levi wrapped his hands up, and they joined the rest of the team.

He had to lecture him. Much as he hated it. Apparently Petra thought he was too harsh. Oh, sorry-- _Rude._ He'd been _rude_ to Eren. Tch.

There was a sudden explosion, Levi's eyes widened before he spun around. _Eren._ A shiver ran down his spine. The nervousness of his team was palpable. They were all ready to cut Eren down at a moment's notice, and Levi sprung to the brat's rescue. He was the only one standing up for Eren. Protecting him. Standing in front of him, he tried to calm his team down. The stench of Eren's fear permeated Levi's nose. He couldn't blame him, this was a sensitive situation. 

"Corporal, get away from Eren! It's too dangerous!" Petra cried out.

"No it's you people who need to get away from him." Levi retorted, keeping the growl out of his voice. _Before I beat the shit out of all of you._ "Step back."

It didn't stop the barrage of accusations flung at the kid. It'd obviously been unconscious on his part, but no one believed that except Levi. He jumped hearing Eren growl.  
"Could you all just shut up for a moment please!!!!" Eren screamed. That's when Hange ran over in all their over excitement. They hurt themselves upon touching the Titan arm, and Levi couldn't help the smirk that appeared on his lips.

Watching Eren pull his hand out of the Titan arm, groan and fly backwards onto the ground, Levi winced. The poor kid landed hard. He'd sat up and was breathing hard. "How're you feeling?" It was out of his mouth before Levi could think about it. He didn't regret it, though Eren sounded astonished he'd asked.

"Not very good..." He admitted quietly. Levi's eye twitched. His squad was still on edge. Hanji ran over and asked him to call everyone back to the castle, and he did-- but the rest of the squad was going to wait in the dining hall. He pulled Eren up and held his elbow as he dragged him to the castle separately. He knew his squad was sharing questioning, and probably worried, looks, but he didn't care. He needed to get Eren out of there and calm him down. Eren had been through enough in the last half hour than he could probably handle in a week.

Eren mumbled questioningly about where they were going, and when he realized they were almost to the dungeon, Levi felt Eren stiffen, his scent strong with discomfort. He was afraid he'd be locked up.

"Don't worry, I just want to talk..." Levi mumbled as gently as possible.

 

Levi leaned up against the wall, assuming his usual position, his face neutral. Eren sighed heavily, his scent went back to normal when he realized he wasn't going to be locked up just like that. Levi glanced at the kid as he sat on the stairs leading up from the dungeon and held his face in his hands. 

Another loud sigh escaped him in a rush. "I know I'm only alive because I'm here. And I know I could be a threat to humanity... But until I saw their outright hostility, I'd thought maybe they trusted me..." The last sentence fell quieter until he was silent.

Levi's eyes widened slightly and he exhaled a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "That's why I chose them..." He spoke quietly, but he knew Eren could hear him. He resisted the urge to sit next to the kid, and continued. "'You're not a true Scout until you return alive once' is a common belief of the Scouts. But those guys... They've been through hell far more than once, and lived to tell the tale. They know how to survive. When you're on the field, you can't plan for everything. The shit can hit the fan suddenly, and you need speed and fast action to counteract it, based on the worst case scenario." He turned his head to look at Eren, his eyes softening. "They are't heartless, and they felt something when they pulled their blades against you. Just don't expect them to regret it." Levi mouthed 'It's their job' to himself since Eren's head was still down. They both jumped when the door to the dungeon opened with news Hangi wanted him. 

"About fucking time," Levi grumbled. As he climbed the stairs he called back at Eren, "Come on." He ignored the responding 'yes, Sir' as he made his way to the dining room with Eren in tow.

 

  
When they entered the dining hall, Levi stood unnecessarily close to Eren. If something went wrong, he'd protect the kid. No one pointed it out, either. "What the hell took so long, was your shit that satisfying?" He pointed his question at Hangi.

"Well... I did that too, but mostly I explained to the higher-ups what happened." They held a spoon in their hand, "Eren's Titan hand was holding the spoon like this. This grasp doesn't look like a coincidence to me." They continued, "Plus, it hadn't been damaged at all-- It neither melted from the heat, nor was bent from unnecessary force. Eren, why is that?" They turned their attention to him.

"W-Well, I was trying to pick it up... Then suddenly I transformed." He fidgeted, unsure.

"Ah!" Hange screeched and Levi raised his eyebrows. "You need an objective to transform! Harming isn't the only trigger!" They were vibrating with excitement.

Gunther spoke up, "So you didn't break the rules on purpose...?"

"Ah, no.. It wasn't intentional." After he said that, the squad looked visibly relieved, and they all proceeded to chomp on their hands. "What're you all doing?" He shouted in exasperation. They all proceeded to explain it was their apology. 

Oruo exclaimed, "We were doing our job, so don't get cocky brat!" Levi growled and fixed him with a sharp stare, which made him audibly gulp. _Stop imitating me, damn it!_ He was also struck with the realization that only he was aloud to call Eren a brat. It made his skin crawl when anyone else did it.

_Mine._

Levi's eyes widened. Shit, what? No! No, no, no! He's a teenager!

_Mine!_

He swallowed. His throat felt dry. What the fuck was wrong with him? Damn it... He sighed softly as their meeting finally ended. He needed sleep...

 

  
It had only been three days since then.

They were preparing for their next mission.

He rested his head against his mare's as Gunther explained the strategy to Eren.

He really liked his horse. She was rescued from being turned into glue. She'd been skittish at first, but she warmed up to Levi pretty quickly. Erwin was shocked. She'd always hated the Commander. What Erwin didn't understand was that animals could read humans. As much as Erwin looked like a good ol' boy, and man did he play that part well, Levi knew better. He knew Erwin's smiles were faked. They never reached his eyes. He didn't care about his troops or anyone, he just enjoyed the control.

Levi was different. While he'd learned to keep a neutral face to appease his uncle, he actually cared about people. He couldn't talk to them-- Apparently the years most kids learned social skills were the years his mom had locked him in the closet when she was visited by her, _ahem_ , male companions. When he tried to talk to them, he came across as uncouth. Well, fuck them. He wasn't going to change himself to fit their idea of what he should be like.

He jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder and he whipped around. Eren held his hands up in defense, his eyes wide as he swallowed. "I'm sorry, Corporal... I tried calling you." His voice was soft, like he was trying to soothe a wild animal... Heh, maybe Levi was a wild animal.

Levi took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "It's alright, kid. I was just.... Lost in thought." Eren visibly relaxed and his arms returned to his sides. Levi eyed Eren. "What did you need?"

"The strategy explanation is over. We can go now, whenever you give the order, Sir."

Levi nodded. "Round everyone up, we'll go soon." Eren saluted and went to get the others. He took a deep breath and began readying his horse to return. 

_Tomorrow's gonna be a long day..._

 

He hadn't the slightest idea how true that statement was.


	5. Chapter 5

One hour.

They had one hour before they had to leave. Everyone was at the stables, readying their horses and trying to stay calm for the upcoming mission. No one knew who was coming back alive.

He watched Eren go talk to his friends, but when he came back he looked mortified. Oruo was about to lecture him, but Levi stepped up before Oruo could finish his insult, which was luckily at the beginning of his reprimand this time. He grabbed Eren by the elbow and dragged him away from everyone else. He finally stopped and held both of Eren's shoulders. He couldn't hide the concern in his eyes. 

"What's wrong? What happened? What'd they say to you?" He had to squash down his anger and desire to go over there and punch his friends in the face. He didn't even know who upset his brat. Ugh, THE brat. He didn't know who upset THE brat.

"Oh, nothing. Really. It's just a lot of pressure." Eren looked down at his feet and resumed softly, "They requested I consider the weight of my life compared to theirs and all those who've sacrificed themselves so far." His face scrunched up and tears started falling.

Levi didn't know what to do. He pulled him into a hug, eliciting a surprised gasp from Eren, who buried his face in Levi's neck and sobbed while gripping the back of his shirt. Levi couldn't resist this time-- He ran his fingers through Eren's hair. He released calming pheromones and quietly uttered, "Just don't get snot on my clothes, kid." Eren laughed a bit, releasing the Corporal, and Levi smiled at the laugh. "Better?" Eren nodded and they started walking back over to the others. Levi reeled back in his scent before they reached the horses. Then Erwin gave the signal and they were off.

 

It was supposed to be easy. Short and easy. Well, as easy as could be running into Titans. What no one expected was an intelligent Titan to infiltrate their formation so rapidly. It hadn't been that long. An hour maybe? Two? They were forced to head into the Titan's Forest.

"Corporal!" Eren called out, Levi ignored him. "Hey, Corporal!" His jaw clenched in annoyance. "Corporal Levi!"

Levi snapped, "What?"

"What do you mean 'what'? We're in the forest!" Eren cried. 

"No shit, Sherlock." Levi deadpanned.

"We can't see the enemy, and something was coming from the right." Eren continued, "How do we avoid them if we're in a forest for crying out loud?" Levi huffed. _Really, Eren..._ So defiant. He smirked at that.

"We can't avoid them anymore. We're in the forest to get away faster, or kill whatever comes our way." Levi sighed, "Now stop being stupid and figure out a way to not die." _Not that I'll let you leave me-- US. I won't let you leave us._ Man he had it bad...

A loud pounding approached them from the behind.

"What's that?" Petra cried out.

"It's right behind us!" Oruo exclaimed.

Levi exhaled to calm his nerves. "Ready your blades everyone, it'll be here soon."

A Female Titan approached from behind, just chasing them. Everyone's horses were going as fast as they could. Levi's squad began freaking out, but another squad jumped in to help. 

They were crushed, literally. The Female Titan slammed the one on her shoulder into a tree. He was splattered as if she'd killed a mosquito. The other guy was crushed like an empty can, then slammed into another tree. He wouldn't be getting up from that.

"Corporal!" 

"Let us use our 3D Gear!" 

"She's dangerous!" 

"It needs to be now!"

"I'll cut her to pieces!"

Levi pulled out a sound grenade. "Everyone cover your ears." He set it off. "Your mission isn't to scream like babies in fear about every little thing. It's to make sure this dumb brat doesn't get injured, even if it costs our lives. We keep going on horseback, understood?"

"Roger!"

"On horseback?!" _Damn it, Eren, really?_ "But she'll catch up to us soon! Who'll stop her if not Levi's squad? We could stop all these senseless deaths if we'd help our backup!"

"Eren, keep looking ahead!" Petra tried to stop him.

"But people keep dying! Should I ignore that and run away?!" Eren was screeching now. 

"Yes! Obey the Corporal's order!" Petra responded.

"Why? How can I obey if I don't know why?" Eren sounded so panicked.

"Because they're the Corporal's orders and he didn't think an explanation was necessary, now shut up and obey!" Oruo responded.

"Eren?!?" Levi looked back when Petra called the brat's name. His hand was ready to chomp down. "You promised you'd only do that if your life was in danger! Eren..."

"If you want to, then do it. There isn't a good or bad choice here." Levi spoke up calmly.

"But Corporal?!" Petra exclaimed.

"He's not a monster because he's a Titan. No matter how hard he's pushed or how strong a cage he's in, his spirit will not submit to anyone." Levi looked back at Eren. "You can either trust yourself, or me, my squad, and the whole Scouting Legion. None of us can make this decision for you. We won't know if a choice was right or wrong until the situation is done." Levi's attention returned to what was in front of him. "You just need to believe you won't regret your decision." 

"Eren, trust us." Petra said as a last attempt to dissuade Eren from transforming.

"Eren, make a fucking decision already!" Levi hated yelling like that, but Eren would get them all killed if he didn't choose. However, his response was not what Levi expected.

"I'll keep going with you!" Eren called out. Levi was so shocked he couldn't keep it off his face. He tried to ignore how butterflies flew around his stomach when he heard Eren put his trust in him. Eren trusted him. _Eren trusts me._ He tried not to feel giddy. He never got giddy. He was Corporal fucking Levi. The Anal Cleaning Nazi... Okay, he needed to stop using anal in that way. It wasn't wrong--The word had that meaning too-- but it just sounded so creepy.

Levi was brought out of his thoughts as one of his squad called out "Target is accelerating!"

"Keep running as fast as you can!" Levi called out.

"Corporal!" Eren's worried voice called out.

"Keep going!" Levi called back. _Please, just trust me, Eren._

They finally passed by a trap and "Fire!" was cried out. The trap was sprung and the Female Titan had been subdued.

Levi exhaled in a rush. "I'm going separately, Erd's in charge in my absense. Tether the horses up and switch to 3D gear. Stay away from the Titan and keep Eren hidden." He started to take off, then as an afterthought, "And take care of my horse."

He hoped Eren would be safe with them-- and that he wouldn't have to rearrange Oruo's face later for upsetting the kid.

He landed on a tree by Erwin, "She's stopped moving."

"Yes, but don't drop your guard." Levi scoffed at that. When did he ever drop his guard? Erwin continued, "Great job leading her here."

Even though he knew Erwin could care less, he felt he had to honor their memory somehow. "Thanks to the backup squad that gave up their lives. We wouldn't have made it if it weren't for them."

"I see..." Erwin responded. Yep, just as indifferent as Levi expected.

"Thanks to them we can see who's hiding in the nape of her neck. Hopefully they won't piss themselves when we pull them out. Disgusting." Levi shuddered at the idea of being covered in urine.

On Erwin's order, Levi took to trying to get to the Titan's nape. No matter how many times he tried, his blades wouldn't cut through. Too bad Eren didn't have that power, it'd be useful.

With every unsuccessful attempt to cut off her fingers, Levi got more and more angry. Did he have to tear her limb from limb first? That could be arranged. "Just come out already, damn it. We don't have all day. It's not like you can escape us. How troublesome. We had to try several attempts to capture you." He swallowed. "You've killed a lot of my subordinates. Did you have fun? I'm having fun... You're just like me and understand me, don't you?" _Like Eren._ "Hey, if your real hands and feet are cut off, they'll just grow back, right? We can't have you dying on us." 

She started to force her mouth open and Levi startled. What...? That's when she began screaming. It was so earsplitting, everyone in the immediate vicinity had to cover their ears. What the fuck was she doing?

She finally stopped. "You startled me, bitch." Levi said. Thundering footsteps grew nearer by the second. _Shit._ "You fucking did this, didn't you, Bitch?" Levi growled. Then he got ready to face off the other Titans. Two were right in front of him. Someone called out his name in desperation. What, like he'd die that easily? He actually had a reason to live.   
An image of Eren popped into his head. _Yeah, that brat._ He sliced the napes off more Titans, until he heard Erwin exclaim "Protect the Female Type." He looked toward her. What, they were devouring her? Yep, they were devouring her. Letting out a huff of exasperation, Levi sliced off a nape, and rapidly flipped to the next Titan. The less left alive, the safer everyone was. _Eren._ Yeah, Eren too. "Withdraw!" Erwin called, and Levi finally landed by him again, out of breath. 

"Erwin, your face is ugly. What is it?" Levi asked.

"I didn't think she'd allow herself to be eaten just to avoid giving up the information." It was rare that Erwin showed his true colors, but his mask was cracking. He was so furious, he couldn't keep up the facade. He cleared his throat, probably to avoid his voice shaking with fury. "Get your horses, leave the carts, and head West! Once out of the Forest, redeploy the Formation! We're returning!"

"Disaster." Levi mumbled. "I taunted her, she creates havoc, and we get nothing." Levi couldn't stop his face from falling. Worry took over his features, he spoke softly. "I wonder what they'll do to Eren and us after this failure." He swallowed hard. 

"Right now we need to worry about returning safely." Erwin responded.

"I'll get my Squad." Erwin stopped him before Levi flew off.

"Wait, Levi. Refill your gas and get new swords." Erwin sounded serious.

"What? We're in a rush and you want me to waste my time on that?" Levi was incredulous. What the fuck was Eyebrows thinking?

"That's an order." He sounded menacing.

Levi sighed, "Fine, Erwin. I'll trust your judgement on this." He flew off at that.

 

He'd just finished refilling per Eyebrows' request, and he resumed heading toward where he last saw his squad when he heard a deep and long scream.

His heart stopped as his eyes widened, and he changed direction to head towards it without consciously thinking about. Somehow, he just knew it was Eren. He was going to find him and help him if he needed it.

_Eren. Hang in there, Eren. I'm coming._

His heart pounded in his ears, and he felt fear bubble up inside him when he saw Eren's Titan missing most of its head. Upon further inspection, Eren was nowhere to be found. He slowed only slightly upon seeing the dead bodies of his squad. It wasn't time for grieving, he had to find Eren-- Or what was left of him. His heart clenched at the thought, but he pushed his emotions back for now.

_You have to be alive you brat, I won't forgive you if you're not._

He caught up to the Female Titan just in time to see that Mikasa chick fall toward the ground. He swooped in and grabbed her before she fell much further. "Fall back for now." Levi stated, dropping Mikasa on a branch. She quickly started flying alongside him using the 3DMG. "We'll follow her from a distance. She's exhausted and slowing down." He let out a breath and spoke in a low voice, "Most of Eren's Titan head was missing. Is he dead?" His heart pounded so hard it was painful.

"He's alive, Sir. She has intelligence and her objective is kidnapping. Instead of crushing him, she captured him in her mouth." Mikasa responded.

"Maybe she meant to eat him." He was gaining a headache from how hard his blood was pumping. "In that case he'd be dead, in her stomach."

"He's alive." Mikasa all but growled. Wishful thinking, perhaps?

"I sure hope so." He knew his voice didn't betray him, but he truly did hope Eren was alive. He'd lost many comrades over the years, but three meant so much to him. He was devastated at Isabel and Farlan's deaths. He wasn't sure he could handle Eren's too. He licked his lips and took a deep breath to try to calm his headache.

"If you'd performed your duty to protect Eren, this wouldn't have happened." Mikasa spat out venom. She had no idea how much those words crushed him, nor would he tell her. Isabel and Farlan's deaths had been his fault as well... No, no, don't think about that.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, "You're Eren's childhood friend who was at his trial, right?" He looked at her briefly then focused back on the task at hand. He couldn't completely ignore the pang of jealousy that lit a fire in him. Seemed his friend had an obsession with Eren. He guessed he did too. "We need to focus on one thing. We need to leave the Female Titan be-- mostly."

"But she's killed so many Scouts." Mikasa retorted. Geez she was an angry one. She was like a black widow spider, every word she spoke to him was full of venom.

"We can't do anything while she can harden her skin. We'll bet on Eren being alive and rescue him before she has a chance to escape the forest. You keep her attention, I'll slice her to pieces." His voice darkened. He couldn't help that. He couldn't squash down all the emotions he was feeling at this time. The strongest one being anger.

 

Mikasa flew in front of the Female Titan to get her attention, but as Levi flew over, the Titan turned and jabbed a fist toward him. He was a practiced veteran, though, and spun along her arm cutting it to ribbons. Lunging toward her, he blinded her with his blades, then fell down to cut her Achilles tendon. She fell hard on her ass but threw up her other arm to protect her nape. Good, another arm to destroy. Levi was quick to cut that one to shreds, too. 

Levi was about to get Eren when he saw Mikasa going for her nape. "Don't!" He called out, but it was too late. Mikasa slammed into her hand and started to fall. Levi flew over, trying to kick off the Titan's hand to grab Mikasa, but twisted his ankle. He bit down his groan of pain and flew toward the Titan's jaw with his blades, cutting straight through, causing her mouth to pop open.

Eren slid out of her mouth covered in mucus and saliva. _Disgusting._  "Eren..." His voice dripped with relief. He was grossed out by his state, but that didn't stop Levi from grabbing him. He flew past Mikasa, throwing over his shoulder, "We're withdrawing!" Relief and worry filled her voice as she called out his name. "He needs a good scrubbing, but he's alive. Forget about her, or is your desire to take her down more important than saving your very precious friend?" He managed to keep his voice void of the jealousy he felt. 

_Mine!_

He did his best to keep his face impassive while Mikasa started to deny how she felt. Nice try, little girl. Levi's eyes followed the Female Titan as they passed. Seeing tears fall down her face was unexpected, but they needed to keep moving. With one final glance at the Titan, they continued on their way out of the forest.

Once out, Levi sighed in relief at the sight of the wagon. He gingerly laid Eren down, taking a few towels to clean him off as much as possible in the deplorable conditions. He brushed his fingers through Eren's hair a bit, reassuring himself that his brat's chest was moving up and down. He knew Mikasa was watching, but he couldn't bring himself to care right now. It was getting chilly, so he pulled off his cloak and put it over Eren to keep him warm. Erwin was ready to go, so he had to leave Eren.

 _He's okay. He's alive. He's resting._ After this day, he'd given up denying his feelings for Eren. They were only growing, and he'd enjoy spending time watching his brat until the day one of them died. He didn't know if Eren would be alive much longer after this failed mission and that made his stomach drop, but he couldn't do anything about it. Maybe he needed a strategy.

He climbed his horse and they took off in the direction of home.

 

Levi was trotting along in front of the wagon that held Eren unconscious. He heard the gasp that undoubtedly belonged to Eren and let out a relieved breath. He was alive. He was okay. Levi had to blink back tears at that, so he lowered his head to hide any stray ones that fell. He heard the other guy in the wagon say he was finally awake. 

"Eren!" Mikasa exclaimed. "Don't get up, you need rest."

"The female Titan?" Eren inquired.

"She escaped." Mikasa responded.

"What? Why? What about the plan?"

"It failed... Now rest." 

"Did you save me?" Eren sounded like he was in awe. Technically, she hadn't saved him at all... Or maybe once? The first time he was caught in the Titan? From what he'd heard, his other friend Arlert had saved him every time. They were going to be killed, Arlert stood and gave a speech that inspired Pixis to keep Eren alive. _Thank god..._ Eren lost himself, Arlert brought him back. He also pulled Eren from the Titan body after Eren plugged that hole in the wall. Levi wondered briefly if Arlert had a crush on Eren.

"We're almost at the wall..." Mikasa sounded sad. At least she didn't try to lie.

Levi hopped off his horse here, he wanted to walk. He wound up next to the wagon before entering and he glanced at Eren. Apparently Eren liked the smell of his cloak. It was over his nose, and by the sparkle in his eyes, he seemed to be in pure bliss. Somewhere inside Levi he felt so happy he could purr.

Once they entered the wall, they were met with the same criticism as always. Stupid cowards didn't know what fighting Titans was like. He could sense the growing distress Eren was under. Eren finally broke down crying when Petra's father began chatting to Levi. He couldn't bring himself to tell the man his daughter was dead. At least not yet. He had more pressing matters right now. Like how to save Eren from execution at the hands of the Military Police.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter ends in about the same place as the first season of the anime of Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyojin.  
> Therefore, the next chapter will contain spoilers for season two and beyond, since I'm following the manga. I'll be sure to warn everyone though.

They only had a week before Eren was to be handed over.

No ideas had come to Levi, and it was making him more and more anxious. He flipped through reports on his desk trying to find any way to find out who the Female Titan was. If they could find her, then Eren should be pardoned.

He sighed heavily and swept his arm across his desk. Papers went flying, but he couldn't be bothered to care right now. Eren was in danger. His face fell into his hands and he stared at his lap. He was so frustrated, he couldn't think anymore. What could he do? 

He hadn't even seen Eren in days-- he'd spent all his time trying to find a solution to this mess. 

Insistent knocks on the door made Levi groan. He knew who it was, so he spoke up clearly, "What the fuck do you want, Shitty Glasses?"

The door opened a crack. It was unusual for them to not run into his office, so he finally lifted his head. Hanji's head was poking through the crack in the door, a serious expression on their face.

"What is it?" He asked again.

"Erwin is calling a meeting for tomorrow evening." Levi didn't like that tone of voice and his eyes narrowed.

He sighed heavily, "Fine. I'll let everyone else know."

 

  
Levi sat drinking some tea. He wished it was spiked at that moment. It'd make things so much easier. 

He spared a glance to Eren. Kid looked so nervous. Who could blame him? At this rate, he'd be dissected. Levi suppressed a shiver that wanted to run down his spine. He hated the idea that anything would happen to Eren. 

"It's been a while," he broke the silence in a soft voice. After a moment he looked over at Eren. Was he too nervous to even speak? "Erwin's taking forever. Much longer and we won't be able to have this meeting before the Military Police arrives." There was an audible gulp and Levi watched as Eren's Adam's apple bobbed. "Maybe he's constipated and trying to take a dump."

Eren's nervous laughter was the only response. Geez he wished he had something stronger than black tea.

"Captain..." Eren broke the lingering silence, "You're talkative today."

 _It's that or worry about you, idiot._ He set his cup down, "Yeah, I never know when to shut up." It had come out sharper than he meant it to. He grimaced, but Eren wasn't looking at him. He hadn't since they'd sat down. Eren had been staring at the wall the entire time.

"I'm sorry..." Eren's voice wavered. Was he trying not to cry? "If I'd made a better decision, nothing would've gone wrong." He gulped and spoke so softly it was almost a whisper, "You wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Levi watched Eren, his heart clenching uncomfortably. The kid was staring down at the table. Don't do that, no. You can't have given up. Your spirit mustn't be broken.  
"I already told you, know one could've known." Before Levi realized it, he'd stood and was by Eren's side. It was like he didn't have control over his body as he leaned on the table beside Eren, his fingers stroking Eren's hair. Eren looked up at him and gasped, more shocked than Levi had ever seen him. He couldn't stop himself, his hand gripped Eren's hair and his lips had descended upon Eren's. 

Eren's hand had gripped onto his shirt and he groaned softly as their tongues danced against one another. But it wasn't to last. Levi heard loud footfalls approaching and released Eren, collapsing back into his seat and taking a sip of his tea as if nothing happened. No one would know except for the scent of arousal in the air. Eren was panting and took a few gulps of air, then the door slammed open, making him jump in surprise. Levi could see that sobered him up quickly, though there was still a tinge of red painting his cheeks.

"Sorry I'm late." Erwin spoke to Eren. He was obviously ignoring the scent in the room but gave Levi a pointed look.

"It's alright." Eren responded and continued in shock, "Armin? Mikasa?" Both of his friends scrutinized him. Mikasa sent a glare at Levi who regarded her with a bored expression, and he saw Armin raise a questioning eyebrow at Eren. Eren shook his head and Armin dropped the expression.

"We think we know who the Female Titan is." Erwin continued. "Normally this would've gone through the Military Police in Stohess, but we acted on our own this time. We have a plan to capture the Female Titan. We'll implement it when we're called to Royal Capital." He sighed, "We can't avoid Eren being handed over, or we can't draw out who we need to. This is a huge gamble, but it's necessary." Levi bit back a scoff. Of course Erwin was willing to risk everyone's life on this, but it was better than losing Eren-- assuming the plan worked. "Eren will escape in Stohess while we're being escorted." Erwin went on, "Avoiding transformation if possible, we need to capture our target. If Eren, as bait, can pull out those intent on destroying the walls, we won't need to go to the Royal Capital. They'll focus more on wall reinforcement."  
Eren looked excited about the plan. Levi knew there was a catch somewhere-- there had to be. Erwin was behind this. Mikasa and Armin both looked worried and Eren spared them a questioning glance.

"Armin came up with this plan and who our target is." Erwin continued. "Armin believes the Female Giant's identity is Annie Leonhart."

"Annie...?" Eren sounded incredulous. "What...? How...? Armin?"

"She knows Eren's face and his nickname of 'Suicidal Bastard' which only those of us from the 104th Squad know." Armin swallowed. "Whoever killed the Titan subjects was very skilled. If it was her, she'd have used her own 3DMG, but during inspection she used Marco's. No one suspected her."

"You said 'if'" Levi interjected, "Do you have actual proof?"

"Annie's face and the Titans are the same." Mikasa responded. 

Levi's eyebrow twitched. "What the fuck do you mean?!" Eren exclaimed, slamming his hands on the table as he stood.

"So, without proof, you're still doing this plan." Levi replied, ignoring Eren's outburst.

"Why do this if there's no solid proof?" Eren asked, "What if it's not Annie?"

"If it's not Annie, she'll be cleared of suspicion." Mikasa responded.

"If it's not her, I'll feel bad. But I won't let you sacrifice yourself without trying all other possibilities." Armin looked directly at Eren this time.

"You're insane..." Eren spoke softly.

"Didn't you notice similarities between the two?" Mikasa asked. "You know the Female Titan is Annie. You just don't want to admit it."

"But... What... I..." Eren stuttered.

"Levi, we'll leave him to you." Erwin eyed Levi suspiciously, but continued, "Talk some sense into him by the time we need to leave." Levi nodded once and Erwin collected the rest before making their way out.

"Hey, kid." Eren looked at Levi but his eyes were lost. "I understand she's your friend," Crush maybe? "but this is necessary. If she's trying to destroy the wall." Eren let out a soft whimper. "Look," Levi sighed, "You don't have to think about it right this second, but you'll need to come through when the time comes." Eren's head dropped back down to staring at the table.

"What was that earlier...?" It was so soft Levi almost didn't catch it.

"What was what?" Levi angled his head to watch Eren.

"That... Th-The k-kiss..." He was still speaking quietly.

"I'm not quite sure." Levi stated honestly. "I just couldn't seem to stop myself at that time." The chair screeched on the floor as Levi pushed his chair back and stood. "We need to get to bed, though. It's getting late."

Eren nodded and followed down to the dungeon without a word.

Once the cell door was closed he turned around to face Levi as he locked the door. "Do you... Uh... Well...." Eren fidgeted.

"Like you?" Levi answered and smirked at Eren's following blush as he nodded. "I'm not quite sure what's going on, kid." He reached his hand in and tousled Eren's hair. "Now get some rest. Sleep on what you heard today." 

Levi left without another word.

Once in his bedroom, he collapsed on the bed and threw an arm over his eyes. "How'd it come to this?" He breathed.

His mind was on Eren until he finally drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

 

  
The differences between Eren and Jean would've been comical if the situation wasn't so dire.

Levi wondered why Jean was doing this anyway. He and Eren fought like two alpha dogs trying to show their dominance over each other. Levi suspected it had something to do with the little blonde mushroom. He looked over at Armin who was giving Jean directions. There seemed to be some unrequited feelings there.

Levi had been mulling something over for a while now. He clenched his fist and his jaw tightened. He took a deep breath, then grabbed Eren's wrist and pulled him away from the others. The brat stumbled a bit at first, probably surprised by the sudden action.

"Wh-What is it Corporal?" Eren looked at Levi with wide eyes. They only grew larger when Levi's hand wrapped around the back of his neck, pulling him down to Levi's level and a chaste kiss was pressed against his lips.

"Come back alive."

It was all Levi could say. He searched Eren's eyes for understanding and was satisfied when the kid finally nodded. They joined the others and Levi ignored the daggers being glared at him from Mikasa's direction. I get it, he's your precious adopted brother you're in love with. Fuck off.

It was time.

Eren climbed into the carriage the Military Police had reserved for him, Erwin and Levi walking along toward the Royal Capital.

 

  
So far, so good.

Jean and Eren made the switch successfully. Eren escaped with Armin and Mikasa. Now all Levi could do was hope.

There was an explosion. Part one of the plan had failed. Eren needed to get his ass in gear to take her down.

The convoy stopped, everyone looking in the direction of the explosion. Orders were called out, but all Levi could hear was the ringing in his ears.  
He looked up, his jaw tightening. There should've been another explosion. What was going on? Was Eren okay? Could he do this? As the minutes ticked by, Levi got more nervous. 

Finally, another explosion.

It wasn't as big of a relief as Levi had hoped. He still worried about his brat. He leaned against the carriage, looking over where the explosions came from. His eyes narrowed with worry and he clenched his fists so he wouldn't start shaking. He couldn't even be there to help. If something happened, he wouldn't be there to save Eren. 

"Be careful, brat..." He breathed so quietly no one could hear him.

 

 

In the end, Annie was finally captured, but she was encased in a hard casing no one could break open. She was chained up underground. 

Eren was injured and slept in a normal bed for once as he healed-- though he was still underground. He didn't have to be handed over to the Military Police or go to the king. 

The district had endured a lot of damage due to their fight. To Levi, it was still better than Eren's eventual death at the hands of the Military Police.

Titans were discovered in the walls. They were still trying to decide what to do about that.

 

"When are you gonna tell him?" Hangi asked.

"Tell who what?" Levi responded, not looking at them as they walked downstairs to the underground facility where Eren and Annie were both being kept.

"Eren, silly!" They exclaimed, "You're in love with him, aren't you?"

Levi halted and looked up at the ceiling. "Am I?"

"Sure seems that way to me." They replied, "Does he feel the same way?"

"I doubt it." Levi smirked sadly, "He has better prospects than me."

"Like who?" Hange tilted their head.

"Armin. Mikasa. Jean." Levi sighed softly.

"You won't know unless you ask." They responded softly as they and Levi resumed their trek downstairs.

"Mmm."

It was all he could say.

He stopped in front of Eren's door and Hange waved as she kept walking to go see Annie.

Levi let out a sigh and pushed open the door, checking quickly for anyone else as he slipped in.

Eren was sitting up in bed staring out the window.

"Hey kid." Levi said softly.

Eren looked toward him and smiled. "Corporal. What brings you here?"

"I wanted to check on you." Levi took a seat in the chair by Eren's bed. "How're you feeling?"

"Better." Eren sighed.

"It took you a while to transform." Levi stated.

"Yeah..." Eren responded and looked down at his hands in his lap. "I... had a hard time."

"Because you had a crush on Annie?" Eren jerked his head up to meet Levi's knowing gaze.

His head dropped back down and he swallowed hard. "I guess I did..." He finally agreed.

Levi crossed his legs and gazed out the window. How could Hangi think he could approach this subject with a kid as young as Eren. He sighed softly, enjoying the comfortable silence.

"Corporal..." Levi glanced over and Eren was watching him warily beneath his eyelashes.

"Yeah brat?" He wondered if Eren took that pet name in a negative way. Probably so.

Eren licked his lips. "I came back alive..."

Levi angled his head to face Eren better. "You did." _Thankfully..._

Eren looked nervous again.

"What is it, kid?" Levi kept his voice soft.

Eren sighed loudly, squeezing his eyes shut and spoke in a rush, "I really like you!"

Levi raised his eyebrows in surprise. He should've known the brat would pop up with something like that before he did. "You don't know what you're saying, kid."

Eren lifted his gaze and held Levi's. "I do too. Corporal, you're so strong, honest, and protective." His eyes were filled with determination. "I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for you."

"What about Annie?"

Eren sighed, "It's a shame what happened with Annie, but she made her choice. I made mine a long time ago, with you in the room."

Levi smirked. "What is it you want then?"

Eren cleared his throat, staring at his lap and spoke in a whisper, "You..."

"Me? You sure about that? I'm stubborn, a clean freak, rude and unapproachable." Levi responded, repeating some of what Petra had said.

Eren apparently realized this and snorted, "I don't think that way. Well, the first two are true, but I don't think the last two are. I've always felt I could talk to you. Though... I guess it's technically against the rules for there to be a relationship between an officer and his subordinate."

"It is..." Levi started and Eren's face fell. Levi stood and sat on the edge of Eren's bed, lifting his chin so those gorgeous green eyes met his, and whispered against his lips, "But I've never been one to follow the rules."

Levi's lips claimed Eren's. 

Eren was hesitant at first, a testament to how inexperienced he was. Levi took hold of Eren's hair and gently pulled his head back, lightly sliding his tongue along Eren's bottom lip. He bit gently, causing Eren to gasp, and his tongue slid into Eren's. He gently pushed Eren back against the bed and felt Eren's arms wrap around his waist as he tentatively slide his tongue against Levi's. 

Levi finally pulled back, Eren whining in protest, and looked down at Eren who was flushed and panting. 

"I can't stay, but just focus on getting better." Levi murmured as he slid his thumb along Eren's lips. "As long as you promise to keep it to yourself, including from Armin and Mikasa, consider myself yours."

Eren nodded, probably the only thing he could manage at the moment.

Levi gave one last quick peck on Eren's lips before he moved to get off of him, then slid the blanket back over him. 

He gently stroked Eren's hair as his brat fell asleep.

He wanted to, but he really couldn't stay. After one final kiss pressed to Eren's forehead, he was walking down the hall toward Annie's encasing.

While the situation with her was a pain in the ass, there was only one thing Levi could feel.

Pure bliss.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:  
> Spoilers! This is what's currently available to watch in season 2 of the anime.  
> Those who have read the manga, you're all caught up. No worries.

After capturing Annie, they were operating under the assumption that she and Eren weren't the only Titan shifters among the 104th Squad.

A good portion of them had been sent off with Mike Zacharius to a remote location within Wall Rose.

But none of that mattered.

Levi sat at his desk glaring at his office door across from him. He was lost in thought. Ever since he told Eren they'd be together, the little shit had been avoiding him. He was about at the end of his rope. He wanted to stomp to Eren's location where he was Titan training and demand an explanation. In fact, that's what he'd do.

He stood suddenly, the scraping of his chair a loud screech against the floor and slammed his door open. He ran down the stairs shoving people out of the way on his way down. He ignored the pain in his leg as he made his way across the plain. He could see Eren's Titan form clearly and he grew clearer as he approached the hulking form.

He stood behind Hange and bit out, "Give us a minute, Shitty Glasses."

They jumped at his sudden appearance and turned around. They looked like they were going to say something, but their mouth snapped shut suddenly at one look at Levi. They nodded and called to Eren, "Take a break, dear! We'll continue this later!" They ran off without another word.

Eren's Titan form squatted and looked over Levi before he emerged from the corpse. He walked over to Levi with a wary expression, "What is it, Captain?"

Levi had to bite back a growl. Who'd this little shit think he was? He took Eren by his shirt and slammed him into a tree. "What is it, you ask? You've been avoiding me you little shit! What do you think it is?" His voice was sharper than it had been before. 

Eren gulped audibly and dropped his head to avoid Levi's gaze. His mouth opened and closed a few times like a guppy.

Levi grabbed Eren's jaw and made him look Levi in the eye, "Answer me, damn it. What the fuck is going on with you, Eren?"

Levi's eyes widened in concern and shock. Tears were flowing down Eren's face. He released the brat and took a step back, his facial features and voice softened considerably, "What's going on, Eren?"

Eren sniffed, "I-It's m-my f-f-f-fault...." He hiccuped.

Levi gently grabbed his shoulders. "What's your fault?"

"Th-That you.... were in-injured..." Eren covered his eyes with his hands and he sobbed.

Levi let out a breath and pulled Eren into his embrace, letting the brat get tears and snot on his shirt, "That wasn't your fault, Eren. It was Mikasa's." He said softly, holding Eren tightly. "You didn't do anything wrong. You followed my orders and did what you thought was best in that moment. I'm so proud of you for that, okay?" Levi pulled back to gaze into Eren's eyes and tousled his hair.

"Y-You s-s-s-ure?" Eren sniffed again.

Levi's eyes softened even more, suddenly glad even Hange wasn't around to witness him being so soft with this kid. "Of course I'm sure. Mikasa ignored my orders, that's why I'm injured. Honestly, I could care less about my leg. I'm just glad you're safe and sound, so stop avoiding me, okay?"  
Eren nodded and hugged Levi tightly, "Yes, sir." He mumbled.

Levi held him and stroked his hair until he calmed down.

 

After dinner, there was a knock on his office door.

"Yeah?" He responded. 

Eren poked his head through the door, "Isn't it time for me to go to the dungeon?"

Levi stood and walked over to the door, opening it further. Eren tried to take a step back, but Levi took his wrist and pulled him inside before shutting and locking the door.  
Eren looked at Levi in surprise, "Levi...?" He was pressed into the closed door and then Levi's mouth was on his.

Eren's arms wrapped around Levi as their tongues tangoed together. He was walked forward and then pushed gently onto the bed. Eren's eyes widened as Levi climbed over him and resumed kissing him passionately.

Levi wasn't going to let his brat get away this night.

His hands roamed over Eren's body, eliciting surprised gasps. He moaned when Levi trailed kisses down his jaw and nibbled at his throat. His scent gland is right there... He had to ignore the strong urge to bond Eren to him.

Eren moaned loudly when Levi's fingers brushed over Eren's erection. His brat's fingers trembled as he began to slide his hands over Levi's body. 

A moan escaped Levi's lips and his mouth came crashing back onto Eren's. Clothes were thrown off in rapid succession and Eren whined when one of Levi's fingers slid into his waiting hole. 

Eren's nails dug into Levi's back as he panted from the sudden intrusion, and Levi held his gaze before he kissed his temple and murmured, "Relax..."

Upon feeling Eren relax, his finger was gently pulled out and pushed back in. Eren groaned in pain, and then suddenly his hips bucked off the bed with a sudden "AH!" He looked at Levi in bewilderment. 

Levi smirked. "Found it." He hit that spot a few more times, causing Eren to writhe underneath him and moan in pleasure. He stopped when Eren's body started shuddering-- He was close, but Levi wasn't done with him yet.

He waited for Eren to calm down before slipping another finger inside his young lover. Eren sat up a bit and wrapped his arms around Levi while Levi began scissoring his fingers. 

The panting in his ear got louder and he took hold of Eren's erection, stroking it slowly. The sounds his brat was making was driving him wild. "Eren..." He breathed, "I don't think I can hold back much longer."

Eren pulled back and looked Levi in the eye, "Go ahead..." He spoke softly.

Levi slid his fingers out, causing a groan of protest from his young lover. He wrapped Eren's legs around his waist and lined up with his waiting hole, releasing his cock so he could hold both of Eren's hips. He watched Eren, waiting for a 'go' signal, then Eren nodded and they were groaning at the same time once he was sheathed within him. 

He started out slowly, pulling out and sliding back in, getting more excited with each moan he produced from his brat's mouth. His teeth grazed over Eren's neck and Eren's nails drew blood from his back. He sped his thrusts reaching a regular rhythm, then yanked Eren's thighs up and his moans increased in volume. Levi repeatedly hit Eren's prostate until he felt his walls tighten around Levi's cock. His rhythm grew irregular and Eren shook as he came all over his stomach, Levi stroking his cock through his orgasm and joined him shortly after, crying out in ecstasy.

Panting hard, Levi rest his forehead against Eren's and gently stroked his jaw while they both regained their regular breathing.

"Wow." That was all Eren said and Levi chuckled.

"Wow is right." He said softly. He rolled over and pulled Eren to his chest, gently stroking his hair. "Rest now." He tried not to think about the future. His leg was injured and Eren would have to be out there without him. Soon. Too soon. He blinked back the tears that threatened to fall.

Eren wrapped his arms tightly around Levi and snuggled close, whispering a sleepy, "Mmmkay..." He yawned and Levi waited until his breathing evened out to indicate he was asleep.

He cleaned himself and Eren up quickly and then pulled Eren back into his chest, watching as he slept. He ran his fingers through his hair and whispered against his lips, "I love you..." He kissed him softly, and then held him until he, too, fell asleep.

 

  
It was extremely sudden.

In the middle of the night, Hange burst in to wake them both up. Eren yelped in surprise and tried to hide behind Levi. They looked between the two for a split second and exclaimed, "We don't have any time, we need to leave NOW. Up, both of you, get dressed!" They ran out the door to inform the others.

Annoyed he didn't get to sleep the whole night, Levi wanted answers, but they would have to wait. He quickly kissed Eren's forehead and rubbed his back a few times until his brat took a calming breath. "We need to do as they asked." Levi said softly. Eren nodded and moved to get up, wincing in pain. "Ah, sorry..." Without another word, Levi helped Eren dress and left him sitting on the bed while he dressed himself.

He wrapped a blanket around Eren, knowing it would be cold outside, then grabbed a gun, and they headed downstairs. 

Hange was ushering Mikasa and Armin into a carriage and then turned to look at Levi and Eren. "Come on, quickly. We need to go." 

Levi helped Eren up, then climbed in himself. He needed some help from Hangi because of his stupid leg, but then he sat on the other side of Pastor Nick without an issue. Where the hell were they going? Hange hadn't explained a thing, and they were holding onto a rock for dear life.

The carriage began moving as soon as Hange took a seat and told the driver to get his ass in gear. Well, they were nicer than that, but still.

"We have to go to Wall Rose," Hange began solemnly, "Titans have been sighted within Rose, and we need to find and seal the hole there." So that's why he and Eren were rudely awakened. At least they were keeping their mouth shut about it.

"That's fine and all, but what can we do now? And why is Pastor Nick here?" Armin spoke up.

"He knew about the Titans in the wall, and refuses to discuss why they're there and why he kept quiet about it. He seems to know even more than he's letting on." Hange went on.

"What the hell?!?" Eren went to stand up, "You knew?!?"

He was shaking and Mikasa helped him sit back down, "Stay. The aftereffects from your transition are still lingering." Levi had to suppress a smirk. _Yeah, transformation. That's the problem._

"He wants to see what really goes on when we're infiltrated by the Titans and he may choose to disclose what he knows then." Hange said.

"What's more important than saving humanity?" Eren inquired.

"There seems to be another important reason he's choosing to stay quiet." Hange replied.

Levi held a gun pointed at Nick. "He has guts and a lot of willpower, but I wonder about the rest of his cult." Levi continued, "As long as he doesn't try anything funny, he won't be left bleeding on the ground somewhere. By the way, Hangi, what's with that rock?"

"Ah, this 'rock' is a piece of the Female Titan's hardened skin. It didn't disappear. When compared to a piece of the wall, it turns out that's what our walls are made of."

"So... Armin was right..." Mikasa breathed.

"Yes, now what if Eren could harden and plug the hole in the wall?" Hange was getting excited, and Eren looked wary and Levi watched him with worry clenching his stomach. "If you can do it, when you come back, what'll be left is a hardened shell plugging the hole. It'd be great if it was possible."

"It's worth the gamble, and if repeated, we could take back Wall Maria as well." Armin said, "If we eliminated the need for cargo carts, we could make our way to Shiganshina. And if we did it at night, no Titans would come after us. A small group could make it to Wall Maria by dawn, even if moving slowly."

"There's hope..." Hange said.

"Yes, but, this gamble is based on Eren being able to plug the wall." Armin responded.

"Could you do it, Eren?" Hangi inquired.

Eren looked like a deer stuck in headlights as he mulled the question over. Levi took hold of his shirt and brought them face to face. He could feel every nervous tremor in Eren's body. "It's not if you can do it or not. You simply have to. The situation is dire, you must succeed." Levi hated how severe he sounded and Mikasa was glaring at him for being rough with her 'brother'. _He might like it rough..._ No, no. Not time for those thoughts right now.

"Yes, Sir!" Eren responded and Levi released him and they both sat back down in their seats. "I'll plug the hole without fail. I want to know what's going on. I'll plug Wall Rose, and then Wall Maria, and the answers await in our old basement. Maybe we'll find out where my father has been all this damn time." Levi smirked, he liked seeing that deep determination on his brat's face.

Levi looked up at their surroundings and sighed softly. They were almost at their destination. He turned to look directly at Eren, not giving two shits if his friends thought he was playing favorites. "I can't go further with you." By some miracle, he kept the worry out of his voice. "The pastor wants to see what happens when we're attacked and this is where he'll see that." He turned to Armin, "Keep coming up with ideas with Hangi." Armind nodded. "Mikasa, protect Eren." I mean it, don't let anything happen to my brat. "I don't know why you're so hung up on him, but don't make another mistake." Eren looked lost. He had no idea she loved him as more than a brother, whereas she was just a sister to him.

"Yes sir. I won't screw up again." She was glaring at Levi, but it was time to get off the carriage. Nick was closely in tow.

When they got closer, Levi shoved him forward to see the throngs of people looking for shelter. Nick stopped suddenly. "Oi, keep moving." Levi kicked him with his bad leg.

"What is this...?" Nick responded.

"The wall fell, this is the result." There wasn't a single smiling face in the bunch. Orphaned children called for their parents, many of the people didn't have a single belonging with them. "The truth isn't that pretty, is it?" Levi continued, "These are the faces of those you pretend don't exist. They've lost their homes, they're anxious and insecure. If you get your way and Titans overrun us, we'll all suffer the same fate. Torture before death as a Titan bites off your limbs. And they won't stop until all of us are gone."

 

They approached the stables, and Hange badgered Nick for information. Levi silently watched Eren. He took quiet steps toward his young lover and pulled him aside.

"Captain?" Eren questioned. Levi's gaze softened and he hugged Eren tightly. Eren returned the hug and whispered, "What's this for, Levi?"

Levi kissed Eren's ear, "Don't get killed." He whispered, and let go before Armin turned the corner.

"Eren? We need to get back to Hange." Armin stated.

"Ah, right." Eren caught up with Armin and Levi followed a ways behind them.

Levi stood against the wall in his relaxed state with his arms crossed over his chest and merely listened in. It's not like he could do anything even if he wanted to.

"Annie's background check reveals two others from her area." Hangi stated, "Reiner and Bertholdt. They were part of the squad that heard Eren was in the right flank, and that's where the Female Titan ran towards. We need more information though. Anything you can tell me about the three of them from training?"

"They weren't known for spending time with Annie." Eren said. "And Reiner is like a big brother, and not smart enough to lie like that."

"Yeah" Armin spoke, "Reiner almost got squeezed to death by--" Armin gasped. "Before Annie showed up, I said aloud that Eren might be in the center formation, and when Reiner was held, he slipped away from Annie, but then she headed to the center formation."

"Did anyone ask specifically?" Hange asked.

"Yes" Armin spoke sadly, "Reiner asked, and I guessed. After Reiner freed himself, Annie stared at her hand. Reiner could've left a message using his blades."

"If you find them, don't act differently. They mustn't be suspicious before we can get them underground. Understood?" Hange explained.

Nick said something about a girl they should find for the answers they wanted, she was apparently part of the 104th squad.

Levi's heart clenched uncomfortably as he watched Eren and his friends run off to find her. He swallowed the lump in his throat and clenched his fist before making his way to the inn to wait out this godawful situation and try to get a handle on his anxiety.

He had a bad feeling about this.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers, sweetie~

Boredom.

That's all this could be called. Boredom.

Being injured sucked. Levi was stuck safely in the district in a carriage with that dumbass priest. Worse than being bored, he was worried. He had no idea what was going on out there, or if Eren was okay. 

Levi rolled his eyes in annoyance. The Military Police had been called in to help with the Titan crisis, and they complained about it being peaceful. Dumbasses have never watched their comrades be eaten or heard the screams.

"Hey, Levi! Where are the Titans?" One called.

"You dislike how peaceful it is?" Levi asked flatly, "Sorry, no hot Titan date for you, but you're always welcome to go on a Scouting expedition with us outside the walls."

"We, we have inland work, so.." was the response. Levi huffed. Cowards.

"The Vanguard is back! Get Commander Pixis!" called a soldier running back into the district.

It didn't take long for Levi to jump back to his feet and join everyone else to greet the Vanguard.

"There were no holes in the wall!" The Vaguard exclaimed, "But the situation is really bad! Hangi's squad had several recruits from the 104th squad without 3DM gear, and three of them turned into Titans!"

Levi's heart felt like it would jump out of his chest. He vaguely heard conversation about who the Titans were and how the Scouting Legion engaged the Armored and Colossal Titans.

Then he heard the sentence that made his heart stop. His worst fears had come true.

Eren had been kidnapped.

Levi took a couple steps back and nearly went over the edge. He wasn't paying attention. He couldn't. Nothing made sense.

Erwin grabbed both of his shoulders and looked him fiercely in the eye, "We'll get him back."

Levi nodded without really seeing anything. He walked forward when Erwin dragged him to get him away from the edge, and he fell to his knees.

He couldn't hear anything around him. He knew orders were being barked out, and plans were being made, but all he could think of were the eyes of his lover. Would he ever see those emerald beauties again? Would he ever hold him in his arms again? He felt numb. Was this what dying felt like?

Hange crawled over and placed their hand on his knee, "He's okay, Levi. He'll be back."

He shut his eyes tightly and let out a pained scream at the heavens. He fell forward and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. He couldn't stop the floodgates this time. Tears streamed down his eyes. He knew he should focus on helping the injured on the wall, but he just couldn't stop.

Hange kept rubbing his back until he finally cried himself to sleep.

 

He was being shaken awake and he blinked up at Hangi, "Eren's riding a horse-- He's almost here." They spoke excitedly.

Levi's eyes popped open and he scrambled to the side to watch as Eren and the others made their way back. He let out a long sigh of relief and rest his head against the wall. His Eren was okay. He quickly wiped away any remaining tears.

The surviving members made their way back up the wall using the elevators, and Levi ran over to Eren. Normally he'd care how that looked, but Eren collapsed as soon as Levi reached him so it looked like he was just catching him. 

Eren regained his footing quickly and hugged Levi tightly. "I'm okay." He said softly to the older man.

"Don't scare me like that again, brat." Levi murmured.

He jumped when he heard someone yelling about Erwin being unconscious and pulled away from Eren. He gave the shifter a meaningful look before he ran up to see the damage done on Erwin.

His arm had been bitten off. 

Levi went with his Commander's unconscious form to the hospital and watched over him in his coma.

 

It had been a week since he'd seen Eren. Levi mostly stayed by Erwin in case anything was needed, and he spoke with Commander Pixis when summoned. Erwin had just woken up and they were having a meeting in the hospital.

As clean as hospitals were, it was also covered in disease and germs. It almost made his skin itch.

"Wall Rose is peaceful and refugees are returning home, but I don't understand the use of military force among this insanity." Pixis said, "Those in the underground city have been ordered to evacuate, but they clashed with the Military Police. No casualties, but the impact was huge. It was believed humans would keep killing humans after Wall Rose fell."

"Sorry, this couldn't wait until you'd recovered. We couldn't sit on our asses and let things escalate. Sucks about your arm." Levi said.

"An arm is nothing-- I'm alive." Erwin responded.

A knock at the door interupted their discussion. "It's Hangi." Levi said, "Come in."

Hange entered with one of the 104th squad members. "Sorry, but this kid has a report from the Survey Corps about the recent incident."

"Connie Springer from Ragako Village." Connie stated, "My squad accompanied me to investigate what happened in my village."

"Good work." Levi said. Connie looked shocked and confused. Did Levi not usually encourage his squad members? Maybe he was getting soft because of Eren-- So to speak.

"Explosions from the insides caused the houses in his village to crumble." Hangi said, "There wasn't a single drop of blood, and the villagers can't be found. Furthermore... The number of Titans killed matches with the number of villagers from Ragako. My hypothesis is that the Titans we fought were actually the villagers from Connie's village."

"These Titans were humans?" Erwin asked.

"There isn't substantial proof, but it makes sense." Hange responded.

"So, all this time... I've been killing humans?" Levi felt sick to his stomach.

"There's no proof." Hangi insisted.

"So, if they're human, why can't they change form like Eren?" Pixis asked.

"Erwin?" Levi wanted his opinion, but upon seeing his Commanders face, a chill ran down his spine. What was the old man thinking? "What're you smiling for?" He asked warily.

"Oh, nothing." Erwin responded. 

Levi wasn't convinced. He wasn't even that cold hearted. "You creepy bastard..." He said softly.

"Where's Eren and Historia?" Erwin inquired, ignoring Levi's comment.

"They're safe," Hange replied, "We'll wait until they're adults to continue."

"But we should continue with a plan now." Erwin said, "We could recapture the wall using Eren's hardening ability. That's more important than anything. Now, where are they?"

"I made decisions because you were in no state to." Levi stated, barely keeping the bite out of his words. "I'll reform my squad and Eren will be in a suitable environment--Safe."

"So you won't tell me where they are?" Erwin had no idea he was treading on thin ice.

"No." Levi almost growled as he stood up suddenly. "Just focus on recovering and leave Eren to me." He stomped out of the room, ignoring his name being called. He couldn't say it aloud, but he just didn't trust Erwin anymore. Especially after that look on his face. Did he expect Levi to roll over and let him manipulate his future mate and the future queen? Bullshit.

He arrived at the stables and hopped on his horse. 

Time to get back to his brat.

 

As soon as he arrived at the remote cabin and put up his horse, he spotted Eren running toward him.

Levi smiled despite himself and wrapped Eren in a tight embrace. "Grab the others for a meeting in the dining room." He said as he released Eren.

"Yes sir." Eren smiled fondly and ran off to get the others.

In the dining hall with all his subordinates, Levi inspected the bottom of the table and made a disgusted face when grime got on his hand. "I see you were goofing off instead of cleaning." He wiped his hand off with a handkerchief and glanced briefly at Eren who made a severe face. Apparently his brat cleaned, so the others were slackers.

He cleared his throat, "Well, our objective remains the same, to plug Wall Maria. Armin, inform the others of your plan." 

"Ah, yes." Armin sat up straighter in his seat, "If Eren was able to use the ability to harden as a Titan, the hole in Wall Maria would be plugged up quickly. If that was a possibility, we wouldn't have to cart over supplies. A small group of us could reach the wall by dawn, leaving at nightfall when the Titans aren't active. We could retrieve the Wall in less than a day." His head dropped, "It just sounds like grasping at straws, though."

"I'll do it." Eren was determined.

"Hangi," Levi turned toward the person in question, "Choose a place for this experiment."

"I want to do it quickly, but I want Eren to stay hidden for longer." Hangi admitted. "The Military Police is out of control. Priest Nick was killed, and it appears the Military Police are behind it. He was living in a safe house... and he was tortured for information before he was killed. His nails had been removed."

"How much did he tell them?" Armin asked. "We don't know who the enemy is, now. However, I don't think anyone has found this place yet."

"That's why I want to keep Eren hidden." Hanji said.

"You want us to stay quiet and twiddle our thumbs?" Levi was getting angry now. "Sooner or later, we'll be discovered." He rubbed his eyes then looked at Hangi. "How many of Nick's nails were removed?"

"Uh, all of them, I think." Hangi said.

"Then he likely didn't tell tham anything, or he would've done it on the first nail." Levi exhaled softly. "We have two choices, to come out before being stabbed in the back or kill those who are doing the stabbing. Hangi, which one?"

"We'll do both at the same time." They responded, Levi nodded in approval.

"Okay, I think it's time dinner got started." Levi said. "Get to your posts." He gave Eren's hand a quick squeeze before letting go and standing to go to his bedroom. He'd have to clean before dinner if it wasn't up to his standards.

 

  
They were in the middle of Eren's training, and his Titan was dead weight on the ground.

"Get up, we're depending on you!" Hange yelled.

"Shut up Shitty Glasses, his Titan's shorter, missing flesh, and his ass is sticking out." Levi stated flatly. Wasn't it obvious yelling wouldn't help?

"Eren, if you don't answer, you're coming out of there!" They ignored Levi. "No answer! I'm getting him out!" 

Levi's hand clenched when he saw Mikasa run over to him. Can't she follow orders?

Hangi pulled Eren out, but half his face stayed fused to the Titan. At least Mikasa cut Hangi's morbid curiosity short by cutting Eren loose. If Hange had their way, Eren would stay like that until his entire body melted.

The experiment was over. They couldn't do anything else that day, they needed to get Eren back to the cabin and let him rest.

It was surprising to the other squad members that Levi refused to leave Eren's side. If his brat needed him, he'd be right there. It only took a few hours for the skin on his face to grow back, then he just kept sleeping. Hangi brought Levi tea and meals, often leaving tea for Eren as well in case he woke up. 

"Please wake up, stupid brat." he whispered. Shortly after he fell asleep sitting up against the headboard of an adjacent bed.

He awoke to movement in the other bed. "Mmm, Levi...? How long was I out?" Eren asked.

Levi moved to sit on the edge of Eren's bed. He opened his mouth to answer when he heard "EREN'S AWAKE!!!!"

Hange was so loud, everyone must have heard that. The entire squad was in the room and surrounding Eren within a flash. Levi rolled his eyes, "A day." He stated simply.

"I was out for a whole day?" Eren was shocked.

"At least your face is back to normal, now Mikasa won't kill me!" Hange said. "Do you remember what our experiment was?"

"It's all a blank after it started. Did I harden?" Eren asked.

"No," Hange sighed. "Nothing remained once your Titan body disappeared. No hardening happened, so we switched to different tests. The first Titan was normal. You followed orders well, built a simple wood house structure. Then when you were writing, things got strange. You wrote full sentences at first, but then jumbled words that didn't make any sense. You finally exited the Titan body about a half hour later.

We let you rest for another half hour, and you formed another Titan. It was shorter than the previous by about two meters. Repeating the same tests didn't work, either. Commands were ignored, you ate the house you built before, and basically went on a rampage until you ran out of energy. We had to help you out of the Titan that time. After another rest, you tried to form another Titan.

This one was far shorter and incomplete. You couldn't even move. Peeling you out was hard-- you lost your face. Eyeballs and all."

"So our plan isn't feasible right now." Eren said. "I couldn't harden my Titan body."

"Yeah, and we were disappointed." Levi sounded harsher than he intended, but he went on anyway, "And thanks to you the atmosphere is shittier than a sewer. The situation could easily get worse while we're just left as prey."

"He did his best." Mikasa said.

"Yeah? So what? What good does that do us if he can't plug the hole?" Levi snapped.

"Blaming him won't help anything." She replied.

"Fuck, I just have a nasty mouth, I'm not blaming him." Levi continued, "Getting shit off your chest is needed sometimes, even if that means complaining like a stupid toddler. Look, inside the walls always smells like a fucking sewer. I thought that's just how the air was, but outside the walls it isn't like that. The world is shit, but there's freedom."

"Levi's saying we found out Eren's Titan can't harden." Hange jumped in, "We found out how many times you can become a Titan consecutively and your limitations. We got useful information, even though we're at risk with all the smoke. Keep trying your best, that's what Levi said."

"Uh... Yeah, sure." Levi responded flatly. That wasn't what he was saying, but whatever. As long as it got Mikasa to stop giving him the evil eye.

"Since we know Eren can't harden, we should talk to the wall cult. They might know how hardening works. Erwin should know soon. He's going to the Royal Capital."

 

It was less than a day when a messenger came with word from Erwin. Levi handed it to his subordinates so they could all read it. 

"Captain Levi, this is...?" Armin started.

"Erwin's orders. If you believe him, get a move on. We're leaving." Levi responded.

Everyone followed, and a good thing too. Intruders showed up at the cabin to set it on fire, but the entire squad was safely far away.

"Are those the Central Military Police?" Armin breathed.

"No fucking clue. Let's get moving. We need to reach the meeting place, at least we can see thanks to the moon." Levi said.

_Fucking Trost district. It never gets better._

As soon as they entered, they were surrounded by civilians talking shit. "Humanity's strongest soldier is tiny!" 

"You're in our way." Levi replied calmly.

"We missed a lot of work thanks to you!" One replied, "Nobody comes here, we make no money and can't get food. Robbers showed up and taxes are through the roof. You know why the Titans attacked? You Survey Corps are useless. If I don't work, I can't eat. But you useless bastards get to eat without doing anything."

"On a shopping trip instead of protecting us, hmph." Another said.

"And with women!" A third jumped in.

"Just give us your money and run away, you don't deserve all you recieve." The first stated.

Levi's eyes widened. He heard it before he saw it and yelled out to everyone to watch out.He was pulled to the side by one of the guys who wanted to rough him up, and he kicked another out of the way as he was being pulled backwards. "Wagon!" He yelled simply.

In the chaos, 'Christa' and 'Eren' were kidnapped and the rest of the squad ran off. Stupid Trost civilians. They never know what they're talking about. He should be used to this bullshit by now, but he just wasn't. 

At least their plan worked. That Arlert kid looked so much like a girl, no one suspected a thing. The rest of the squad followed the wagon without too much trouble. They were all on the roofs surrounding where their fake Christa and fake Eren were being held, ready to go at a moment's notice.

"How's the inside look?" Levi asked Mikasa.

"They'll see through Armin's disguise soon. We need to hurry. How's your leg?" She asked.

"It's fine. I can more or less move it." He responded.

They slipped into the building and quickly took out the guards. Mikasa and Levi released the ropes on Armin and Jean but still made it look like they were tied up, and took to hiding in the shadows.

"Are they the real deal?" One of the kidnappers said. Levi lifted his finger to his lips to call for silence while they listened.

"They match the descriptions." Another said.

"What about a disguise?" First one asked again.

"Haven't checked yet." A third responded.

"Dumbass, don't make another mistake." The first responded. "Wait on the report, we can't fail."

"Where'd the guards go?" The second one asked.

"Who cares? Let's just check these two for disguises." The first said.

Mikasa jumped into action, shoving her knee into the face of one of them and dropping him to the ground, and Levi ran out and tackled a second to the ground using the guys own weight against himself.

Mikasa took down the final guy and Jean and Armin jumped into action with ropes ready to tie the guys up.  
Levi ignored his subordinates' chatter. It was all useless, and Mikasa made another stupid mistake as usual. Once the three were tied up, Levi asked the third guy, "You the boss?"

"No, just an old coach driver!" He responded, "I know nothing, don't hurt me!"

"I know him." Mikasa said, "He's been called 'president.'"

"Hear that, president?" Levi responded. "Grab him, leave his men here. We'll go someplace safer."

They made their way to the top of the wall in Trost, right above the boulder there. "You know where we are, president?" Levi asked.

"My town." the president responded.

"For us, it's where humans won for the first time." Levi said. "It's also humanity's helplessness. We used a Titan to plug the hole below us-- The hole that was made by a Titan. Your town barely survived thanks to that and the many soldiers that lost their lives. A miracle, by the name of Eren, helped us secure this town. Eren, the boy you tried to kidnap."

"I'm too old for a lecture." He responded.

"True." Levi said as he sat beside the man. "What I really want to know about is your motives and negotiations with the brigade." Levi said.

"None" The president said, "We just obey orders not to lose what we have. If we don't follow orders, the Government will take everything and our workers will be on the street. Plus, some of us will die mysteriously." He cracked a smile, "The brigade is full of idiots. They thought we'd be able to do something against people that fight Titans. Hell, that little girl was enough to beat us all." He meant Mikasa. He looked more serious and turned to Levi, "Was that helpful?"

"They're dumbasses, I agree, but will you let those dumbasses kill you president?" Levi responded.

"They have the power." He responded. "You get killed by naked things."

"True." Levi conceded, "But Titans can be killed. If you're gonna die anyway, might as well go down fighting."

"If I did that my men would die." He said.

"They will either way." Levi said. "Trost is on the verge of bankruptcy. It's had Titans within it and been half destroyed. People are still here, though, because your company brings them together and has jobs for them. Without your company, the town would stop functioning. Everyone would be left homeless, and many wouldn't survive the winter. The brigade killing you off is more merciful."

"Yeah, without Christa and Eren, a lot of people will die." He said, "So what? You going to give them to us so my men will live?"

"Yes." Levi said, "I will." There was a chorus of incredulity. No one could believe their ears. 

Before she said a word, Levi knew who'd be the loudest. Mikasa exclaimed, "Captain Levi--?!"

"I have three conditions." Levi interupted her. "First, your company will join us and fight against the brigade and the government."

"You want a war?!?" He exclaimed.

"Second," Levi continued ignoring the outbursts. "You'll trust us indefinitely."

"Trust is a joke to merchants." He responded.

"I'm asking you, the man. Dimo Reebs, what sort of person are you?" Levi said. "Are you going to let everyone die, or fight against who holds the power? We don't know which choice is better, so choose what you think is best.

The third condition, Whenever you find rare or luxury food and items, the Survey Corps gets first dibs. Such as black tea." God he missed black tea... It was his coffee.

"I like you, I accept." Reebs responded.

"Smart man." Levi stated.

He had to get back. Hange was bringing in the man they suspected killed Nick, it was almost their turn to get information the hard way. 

Levi and Eren's relationship had been rocky for a few months now. They barely saw each other and with this hardening dilemma, they fought most of the time. Normally Eren would just take it, conceding that he had a problem, so Levi would get more irritated and continue being an asshole. 

He'd get some aggression out on that Military Police dog, and hand Christa and Eren over to Reebs.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Spoilers

Hange had no idea how to torture a guy. That much was clear. Not a single question was asked of Sanez, the Military Police dog, before they'd pulled off all of his fingernails. 

Even without using his dominant hand, Levi packed quite a punch. He punched their prisoner repeatedly and then cleaned the blood off his knuckles.

It didn't take long for the asshole to talk. He talked about all the people they'd killed; inventors, teachers, regular citizens, people who just wanted their freedom.

"So you protected us from new technology, thanks a lot." Hange bit out.

"The Scouts should've been dealt with too, we just figured you'd all be devoured." Sanez responded. "Now you're like a disease threatening the peace."

"Sounds like a bitch." Levi said. He pressed his thumb and forefinger into Sanez's nose as he continued, "I understand you did your best." He then broke the guys nose. "Now answer honestly or this'll get so much worse. Who are the Reiss family?"

"They're nobles in the country, not closely related to the royal family officially. Why?" He sounded pitiful as he responded. Of course, with all that blood, who could blame him. He could barely breathe in his current state.

"We need information about the walls. Can they expose the secrets? Are they keeping people away with religion? Why are they in charge of this instead of the royal family?" Levi continued, "Tell me what you know."

He started to speak but was interrupted by Hange pulling out a tooth, "Too slow!" They said. "Which one doesn't have a cavity, hmmm....."

Levi sighed, "Don't pull out too many, we need him to talk."

"He has a lot of teeth, though!" Hange said.

"Nobody has as much fun hurting others as you!" Sanez said. "More fun! More pain! It's for justice! It's easier if you believe that! I'm fine, I have protected the king with my fellow comrades. I believe in the security of the walls, and I want to believe we haven't been wrong but it's painful. My entire life was covered in blood. Torture me more." Tears began streaming down his face.

"Time for a break." Levi stated plainly and ushered Hange and Moblit out of the room. The door was left open just a crack.

It was time for their next action-- Fool Sanez. 

Hange had brought his partner in for this purpose. They were standing just outside the room Sanez was being kept in. "Pathetic, you spilled the beans after just one nail." Levi said. "Sanez has no nails left." It wasn't a lie, though Hange didn't give him a choice.

"Who cares." Ralph, Sanez's partner said. "He can die for all I care. He was a nuisance, just caring about the king and peace. Just kill him."

Sanez had no idea Ralph was reading a script and Levi held a knife to his throat. "Not until we determine your stories match." Levi said flatly.

"It's all true." Ralph said, "Will I have a bed in prison?"

"Yeah, and two meals a day." Levi said. "If Sanez breaks, you'll be in the same room."

That was it for the script. Moblit walked Ralph off while Levi and Hangi reentered the room Sanez was in. "Hello, Sanez. I'll do my best to torture you." Hange said. "You can't die yet, but I'll torture you to death if you want. Do you prefer your right or your left testic--"

They were cut off by Sanez. Their plan worked. "The Reiss family is the true royal family."

 

They were set to have a meeting all together. "Where's Hangi?" Levi asked.

"They had something to discuss with Commander Erwin." Eren responded.

"Stupid four eyes... Nifa, thanks for the transmissions. Now tell everyone what Erwin said." Levi said. "The Reebs corp is staying, and I'm trusting them, so speak." He hesitated a moment and turned to the president's son, "And welcome Flegel."

"Historia needs to ascend the throne." Nifa said, and there were words of confusion. She turned to Levi, "Captain...?"

"I hadn't told them yet." He stated. 

"Well.. The Fritz family is a stand in for the true royal family-- The Reiss family." Nifa said.

"Is that our main objective?" Armin asked, "To have Historia ascend the throne?"

"Yes. Historia?" Levi asked.

"I can't!" She said.

"Yeah, most people wouldn't just up and agree to be the most influential, authoritative person in this world." Levi got in Historia's face. "I don't care. Do it."

"I couldn't..." She responded.

"You don't want to?" Levi asked.

"I couldn't possibly..." She said.

Levi yanked her up by the collar of her shirt, "Fine. Then run away with all that power." He heard his name in a panicked voice, but he was too focused. "We'll just hunt you down and force you to obey. This is your fate. Don't like it, then fight and defeat me." He released her and she fell to the floor.

"You didn't have to do that!" Jean exclaimed.

"You think you'll eat tomorrow? Sleep soundly? The person next to you will be alive? Normal people don't think about that sort of thing. I'm not normal. I'm different." Levi stated. "If Wall Rose was broken tomorrow, I'd be faster than anyone and fight. You've seen hell yourselves, who's to say it won't happen again tomorrow? People want to stop us from performing our duty, and I don't mind beating people until you can't tell who they were. I'd prefer humans killing humans over humans being eaten by Titans. At least then, part of humanity would remain ignorant civilians. If we had authority, then maybe we can save more people. Historia, the fate of this world is in your hands. Will you fight or will you flee?" He kneeled down and got in her face, "There's no time to decide, so choose now!"

"I'll do it!" She screamed back. "I'll be queen, leave it to me."

"Good." He held his hand out to her. "Stand. We're counting on you."

"Yes..." She said.

Levi took a glance around the room. Everyone was staring daggers at him except for Eren who just looked lost. Levi let out a breath and leaned against the wall. "Continue, Nifa."

"The Commanders orders say Eren and Historia will be handed from the Reebs Corps to the first Military Police brigade. Everything has been left to Reebs' discretion, and we'll take advantage of that." Nifa continued, "Once Eren and Historia are handed over, we'll track them to their destination-- Where Rod Reiss is. The true king, Historia's father, and the highest authority within the walls. Everyone is under his command. The Survey Corps will capture him and have a conversation with him. We need to know why he's abandoned us and the civilians, why travel has been prohibited, and why technology development has been abolished. We could lose everything in this plan, but we continue using the logic and values that we have, and aim to change the system. Once Historia has been crowned Queen, we'll have the fake King explain to everyone that all they've known has been false. We aim to have the support of the people, and then move towards sealing the hole in Wall Maria."

 

Their meeting ended, and they had a few minutes before Eren and Historia were to be handed over. Levi made his way outside to tend to his horse, and Eren was close behind.  
"What was all that about, Levi?" Eren asked.

"What do you mean?" Levi responded.

"You forced Historia into being Queen." He said.

"I would've done it either way." Levi stated flatly.

"Ever since we came back from me being kidnapped, things have been different. You've been different." Eren said.

Levi sighed and turned toward Eren. "How would you have felt if I was the one kidnapped? If you had been previously injured and couldn't join in on the rescue mission? If Armin came back missing an arm and bleeding out?" He turned back to his horse, brushing her mane. "I'm tired, Eren. I've been fighting Titans for too long, and I want it to end. I've lost almost everyone that ever meant something to me. If I have to be a harsh asshole to fix this shit, then that's what I'm going to do. I had to torture a guy to find out about the Reiss family. I take all that on so you don't have to." He sighed and continued in a whisper, "I can't even remember the last time I slept through the night."

"Levi, I--" Eren started, but was interrupted by Hange calling for him. It was time for the plan to be put into action. 

Levi turned to Eren and gave him a small, sad smile, and then they were all off.

 

Levi hid while Reebs tied the two kids up and gave them small knives. If things got bad, Eren needed to become a Titan.

He expected things to go wrong. President Reebs was murdered. They'd be blamed for that, he knew. He stayed hidden, then met up with his squad to discuss a plan.

He, Nifa, and a few others were to find where Eren and Historia were taken, while the rest laid low at the stables.

They were sitting on a roof. "Unless they're necrophiliacs, they must be the brigade and the coffins are holding Eren and Historia." Nifa said, "We lost them, but you did great finding this spot. It's weird, though. This is different from what they'd normally do."

"They knew Reebs joined us. Their thinking is like mine." He knew Nifa wouldn't believe him when he mentioned knowing Throat Slasher Kenny and that he was raised by the man. Even so, he said it aloud. That didn't stop him from noticing someone climbing behind him on the roof. He was quick, but unfortunately he was too slow to warn Nifa.  
Her head had been blown off.

The rest of the men with him had their heads shot through before he could jump into action. He'd have to deal with this shit alone.

Kenny flipped around and began shooting at him. Levi tossed a blade toward him and used his cloak as cover. He took off at a dead run, somehow managing to avoid the bullets flying at him from an ambush Kenny had planned. He flew into a saloon and stuttered out who he was to alleviate the fears of the patrons. He hid behind the bar before Kenny crashed inside.

"Found you, I've come to kill the evil villain!" Kenny exclaimed. "He's not here?!"

"I'm here, Kenny." Levi said, "It's been a while."

"Stop fucking around and show me your face." Kenny said.

"Stop fucking with me." Levi responded, "you've been shooting at my face this whole time."

"I wanted to see the color of your brain." Kenny said.

"I'm surprised you're alive, Kenny." Levi responded. "It's funny how you're a military policeman after massacring a bunch of them."

"Brats wouldn't understand." Kenny said, "Oh but I guess you're an old man now, huh? Weird my teachings were put to use like this, but I wouldn't hide out in a bar. You're a rat in a bag. If you try to escape, you'll be shot down. Say, Levi?" He threw a chair behind the bar breaking several bottles. "Why'd you join the Survey Corps? I think it's because we lived in garbage, struggling to survive and when we learned how big the world was, it hurt like hell. Our shitty lives had no meaning." Levi turned a bottle around to act as a mirror. "But we found things we liked. Hobbies made our lives better."

"So blowing off the heads of my subordinates is a hobby?" Levi asked flatly.

"I'll kill as many as I need to for the bigger goal. You're the same, right?"

"Yeah." Levi said, grabbing a shotgun and pointing it over the bar without getting up. The bottle worked quite well, he shot Kenny in the stomach and blew him out the door. He said his thanks to the bar owner and threw a chair out of the window. Bullets bounced around as he expected and then he went out when it stopped for a moment. 

Levi shot out a grapple and it hit a guy in the throat. Dragging the guy with him to another roof, he used the dead body as a shield, then threw the body at the men and cut their throats.

He was on the run with at least ten guys on his tail. He was grateful his squad knew what to do, and he caught up with them. One of his grapples went into a guys side, and he flew toward the guy and cut him in half.

He directed his squad and landed in the wagon Armin was driving. "Our movements were predicted." Levi said, "Stop following the casket wagon. We'll give up on Eren and Historia for now-- They're bait to pull out the Survey Corps members and kill them all. There's more enemies ahead." He gave out orders to each member of the squad. "Mikasa and I will help you escape."

"What about Eren and Historia?" Of course she couldn't just let that go.

Levi kept his voice level, "We'll find them later assuming we get out alive. Kill when given the opportunity."

They didn't get much time to voice their understanding before Levi and Mikasa had to use their 3DMGs to fight off the enemies chasing them.

Levi threw a blade and killed someone else, but they were surrounded. When a gun was pointed at Armin, Mikasa jumped on the person's head and they dropped into the wagon. Jean was too soft. He told them not to move with a gun pointed at them, but it was soon kicked out of his hand and then their gun was pointed in his face.

What shocked Levi was when Armin turned and shot the person dead.

 

They'd escaped alive.

They were at some shitty barn and Levi had his bullet wounds tended to. They were all sitting around a fire when Levi finally broke the silence, "Can't eat, Armin?" He spoke softly.

"No..." Armin said. "Jean, I don't understand... She had her gun aimed at you and I thought I was too late to help you... Why was I the first one to pull the trigger...?"

"She hesitated." Levi stated.

"I'm sorry." Jean said, "I should've shot her."

"She must've been a kind person with more morality than me." Armin said. "I pulled the trigger without hesitation."

"Armin, you have blood on your hands and there's no going back." Levi said.

"Why do you have to say it like that?" Mikasa asked in an accusing tone.

"Accept it." Levi ignored Mikasa. "If you hadn't killed her, Jean would be dead. You were smart and saved your friend. You knew if we lost anything or anyone, we'd be fucked. Thank you, Armin. We all escaped safely thanks to you."

"Captain Levi" Jean started, "I always selfishly hoped your ways were wrong, I didn't want to kill people. But I was wrong. Next time I'll shoot. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, our safety wasn't guaranteed because you hesitated. However," Levi continued, "The circumstances were difficult. We don't know the future which makes decisions harder. Maybe you weren't necessarily wrong. Everyone get some sleep. I'll keep watch."

They needed another plan to rescue Eren and Historia. There were sure to be people searching for them. Maybe they could sneak upon a couple of them.

Armin did well. He was the least threatening of them. Levi and Mikasa laid in wait in the trees. Marlowe Sanders and Hitch Deliss showed up, Mikasa and Levi dropped upon them while they were distracted with Armin.

Mikasa and Armin took their clothes to infiltrate the Military Police, and they were going back in the carriage. Hitch went on some rant about the deaths of those in the Stohess district and Annie being missing. "She must've been fucked up beyond recognition, right?!?" She screamed.

"The Titan in the walls is Annie Leonhardt herself. She's been captured."

 

It didn't take too long to find the Central Military Police brigade's headquarters, and taking out the guards was even shorter. The head of the HQ was easy to break, but spouted nonsense about Levi giving up his life for his subordinates.

"I'll pass. Where are Eren and Christa?" Levi asked.

"How admirable, letting your comrades die and struggling to survive." His sarcastic tone was irritating.

"Some members are given higher priority than others." Levi stated. He shoved the guy into the tree and raised his arm up behind his back. It'd break soon. "We still banded together, despite knowing the rules. And even if I did die, my comrades wouldn't be saved. The monarchy wants all of us dead. Now, I'll ask you again." His voice got darker. "Where are Eren and Christa?"

"I don't know, Kenny Ackerman is careful!" He yelled.

"Well that explains it. He wouldn't talk about something that important." Levi said, "However, I could continue breaking your bones until you spill what ideas you have."

Hange, Hitch, and Marlowe walked up from the field. They'd startled everyone and had weapons trained on them until the last moment. Hangi, ever fearless, handed a paper to Levi. "The Survey Corps has been liberated, and your actions called self defense. Zacklay is now in charge of the royal government and admin districts." Hange spoke proudly.

The squad cheered and erupted in excitement. "I'm sorry, Hange, the three you sent with me are dead."

"You killed the enemy, right?" They asked.

"Not quite. We need to find their boss, Eren, and Historia before this revolution can proceed." Levi responded.

"I don't know about their boss, but we have a lead on Eren and Historia. It hasn't been confirmed, but we have to take this gamble." They said. "We need to act fast, too... Or Eren will be eaten." Levi swallowed the lump in his throat. He already felt cold. Not having Eren with him, everything was duller. "Eren remembered some things from Reiner and Bertholdt's conversation, apparently eating a Titan gives someone the abilities of that Titan. We have no time, I'll explain more on our way there."

They were making their way on horses as Hange continued, "If Eren and Historia were taken by the Reiss family, then they should be on Reiss family land. Rod lost his entire family, supposedly to bandits, five years ago, and has wanted to have contact with Historia since then. He must want her for some reason. His family was in a church and it was completely destroyed at the time. Reports of the bandits suggests they didn't need to destroy an entire stone church, and then he rebuilt the church as soon as possible using his own money. We should check it out."

"Let's go to the church." Levi said.

"We need to hurry." Hange said, "I doubt Reiss will wait until dawn, and by then Eren could have been eaten already."

 

They arrived in record time, all the horses going as fast as they could.

It didn't take Levi and Hange too long to find the hidden entrance they needed, buried under a rug. How stupid were these people? Under a rug was so cliche, anyone would find it in a minute.

"Preparations are complete." Armin said.

"Alright, everyone ready to get their hands dirty?" Levi looked to his squad. Most looked apprehensive, but then again this was them versus humans, not Titans. "Good. Everyone get ready, we're sending down the barrels with gas canisters first. Hopefully that'll make our appearance easier."

They shoved canisters down and gave a quiet countdown before they all rushed down the hidden stairs. Sasha shot at the barrels with fire arrows, causing explosions. The resulting smoke made moving without detection easier for his squad. Mikasa always stayed pretty close to him whenever they were dealing with things like this. She had an attitude when dealing with him, but when they worked together, it was like working with a close cousin.

Before the enemy started shooting at them, his squad fired signal flares. More smoke. Levi quickly counted the number of enemies, "Thirty five enemies on the pillars near the ceiling, get them all!" Levi cried. The place was huge. No human could've constructed such a large area underground. It was like an open area in a cave, but it was bigger. Higher. Wider. The entire thing was like one big, open mansion without rooms. The walls and ceiling were of an unnatural substance-- Hardened Titan skin, perhaps?

Levi took after the enemy that was barking orders at the others while his squad took out the other enemies one by one. Unfortuantely, she dodged his blade and took off with Hange on her tail.

Hange had a grapple land in their arm and was tossed to the ground. They seemed to be alive, at least. The enemy ordered a retreat and regroup.

"Armin, take care of Hangi!" Levi called, "Everyone else, don't let up on the enemy!" He made his way deeper into the vast space with one thing on his mind-- Finding Kenny fucking Ackerman. His blood was boiling with anger as he flipped through the space.

His team joined back up with him and they all watched in horror as a bright flash came from the back of the room. Titan.

"Damn it..." Levi muttered. Was he too late to save his brat? His heart pounded, but he hadn't stopped for long. He kept making his way back there, and hid. His blood ran cold at the sight, Eren was chained to the walls, kneeling on a platform in the middle of this area. Blood poured down his face from a deep cut on his forehead. He needed to get moving quickly.

"Oi, Historia!" Eren exclaimed. "What are you doing?!"

"Escape!" She called to Eren as she worked on the chains holding him down.

"You have to eat me!" Eren said, "You were chosen, I'm nothing! I can't keep living, this is too much!" Levi's heart began pounding harder than ever before. Eren wanted to die? No, he couldn't. There was roaring in Levi's ears.

"I refuse! I hate humanity! You're getting out of here and I'm destroying everything!" Historia exclaimed.

A Titan spine and skull shot up from the ground. Rod Reiss had somehow become a Titan. Levi had to get Eren out of here, and fast.

"Since Reiss became a Titan, it's fine as long as I'm eaten!" Eren said, "Historia, get out of here!"

"No!" Historia yelled, "While I hate humanity, I'm your ally Eren. I want to be a good person and help those who feel useless. I'll save anyone I can." She was blown away by an explosion and Levi's team joined up with him. Mikasa flew over to check on Historia, and Levi dropped nearby asking for the keys to release Eren.

Levi, Connie, and Jean held onto Eren while trying to get his binds off. Only one leg had been freed, they had three more to deal with. 

"Listen dumbass, besides just Titans, gun wielders are after us too!" Jean exclaimed.

"Before that..." Levi stated calmly, "The ceiling is caving in." Eren's binds were released and the guys pulled him away from a piece of the ceiling breaking off that crashed where Eren had been moments before. "What's with this shit...?" Levi grumbled.

He'd resigned to his death. Eren just wanted to die, so there was no hope for the rest of them. The place was caving in around them, there was a giant Titan in front of them that was bigger than the Colossal Titan, and Kenny fucking Ackerman and his crew were down there with them. 

"Sorry everyone, I was never useful." Eren said, tears streaming down his face.

"We'd have trouble getting out of here even without Eren and Historia." Levi stated.

"We'll be burned to death if we get too close to that Titan." Mikasa said.

"We still have to try to run!" Sasha exclaimed in panic.

"No. We're doomed." Eren said.

"So we're just going to be crushed or burned to death?" Historia asked Eren.

Levi sighed and looked at Eren, "I'm sorry the choice is always your burden. What will you do?"

Eren tossed something in his mouth and crushed it between his teeth and before they knew it, his Titan form had stopped the cave in. He'd finally managed to harden his skin. It was holding the place together. Levi sank to the floor and worked on calming down while the rest of his crew either worked on getting Eren free from his Titan or searched for a way out of this place.

It took a few hours, but Sasha finally announced a way out and Jean announced Eren was free. That was Levi's cue to find the shifter. He was probably shaken after that insanity.

"This is..." Eren breathed.

"It harened." Levi responded. "Even though you were freed, it didn't disappear."

"I drank that armor stuff in the bottle before I became a Titan last time, is there more?" Eren asked.

"I'm afraid not, it's all been broken or evaporated by now." Historia said.

"There might be more elsewhere." Levi said, "You managed to harden, and we were all saved. Maybe like this we can plug up the hole in Wall Maria... Let's get out of here. You like like shit, Eren."

Once they were all out, they spotted a Titan that wasn't interested in humans. "Let's be careful of the Central Brigade, but follow that Titan." Levi said.  
Hange had woken up while they were making their way back. They were talking about what Eren and Historia had learned that evening.

Eren possessed the Original Titan, but its full potential would only be awakened by someone with Reiss family blood. However, the Reiss family would be stuck with the First King's ideas about the world, in which humans would never be free of Titans.

"If I let Rod Reiss eat me, he'd become human and the Original Titan." Eren said.

"We could restrain Rod Reiss after he's human and reverse the King's ideas, humanity could possibly be saved." Levi said, "and you'd do that, Eren?"

"Yes." He stated.

"Too many things could go wrong." Historia said, "The Reiss family has tried to undo the First King's brainwashing for decades and it hasn't worked, Rod Reiss could alter the memories humanity has, and any number of other things could go wrong. Eren's father tried to save humanity from that fate. We finally have a chance for humanity."

"That's why he gave you that key." Mikasa stated.

"We can finally cover that hole and go to the basement." Jean said.

They had to do something about that gigantic Titan though. Eren tried yelling at it so it would bend to his will. "Stop, you midget!" Eren called. Levi glared at him over his shoulder. Eren gave a sheepish smile before resuming his futile attempts to stop the Titan.

Erwin rode up on his horse and Levi explained the situation to him. They came up with a plan to take the Titan down without getting too close. The civilians would be told it was a drill while they used the cannons on the wall to take it out. Upon failure, it was up to the Survey Corps again.

It was morning before they were ready and Historia walked up ready for battle. "We ordered you to stay safe." Levi said, "What're you doing?"

"Captain, you told me to choose to fight or run away." Historia stated.

"Shit, no time to argue. It's almost here." Levi responded.

The cannons went off repeatedly, doing next to nothing to the Titan. Erwin's team decided explosives and something similar to a machine gun would work better, so Levi's squad got to work throwing together the giant bomb. The cannons kept going off, but a sudden wind change made seeing next to impossible.

With nothing else working, the squad doused themselves with water, Eren Titanized and threw the bomb into the Titan's open mouth as it began climbing over the wall. Shrapnel flew by them all, as the squad made their way to the Titan. They needed to get that nape off at least. At least the bomb disabled the Titan's heat armor, they wouldn't burn up when they got close.

 

The Titan had been taken care of, and Historia announced that she was the true Queen. They made it look like she singlehandedly defeated the Titan and it helped with the citizens showing loyalty to her.

Levi had one more thing to deal with before he felt he could relax. He and a comrade walked toward the forest and saw the man he was looking for, half-dead against a tree. 

"Kenny. Your comrades have fallen, are you the last one?" Levi asked.

"Guess so." Kenny replied.

Levi turned to his comrade and told him to return. He'd deal with Kenny himself.

"You're almost dead, nothing will save you at this point." Levi said.

"I dunno" Kenny said as he shoved a syringe forward with his palm, "I took this from Rod Reiss' bag. I'd be safe... If I could become... A Titan..." It was harder for him to talk now, "If it'd... keep me.. alive... Worth it..."

"You should've done it earlier, why didn't you?" Levi inquired.

"Didn't wanna... Be like... Rod Reiss..." Kenny responded.

"That wouldn't have stopped you, what's the real reason?" Levi asked.

"Don't wanna die... Want power... But it wouldn't help... Everyone I saw.. Alcohol, women, being god... Family, King, Dreaming, Kids... They kept moving cause they were addicted to it... All of them, slaves... Even him..." Kenny responded. _Him? Who the fuck are you talking about, old man?_

Kenny went into a coughing fit, blood splattered out of his mouth each time. "Why didn't the King want humanity to survive?" Levi asked.

"I dunno, but we Ackerman's always went against the King." Kenny stated.

"I'm an Ackerman? Who were you to my mother?" Levi asked.

"Her brother." Kenny said. 

"Why'd you leave me when I was fourteen?" Levi asked.

"Wasn't fit... to be a parent..." Kenny shoved the syringe into Levi's chest and Levi held onto it. And then Kenny was gone. He wasn't the best uncle in the world, in fact he made Levi's life a living hell as a kid. But at least he gave him food and a roof over his head for a few years. Once left alone, Levi could handle himself, so it was fine.

He couldn't stick around and stare at the most influential man in his life. The coronation was tomorrow, he needed to get there to see Historia crowned Queen. He stashed the syringe. Hopefully it would come in handy someday.

Levi waited for Historia down the hall. He heard the commotion of his subordinates playing with the soon-to-be Queen. Historia went to punch him, but he captured her hand. Relief washed over him at seeing them all acting like normal. Nothing had really changed. Just an old fart was dead. 

He couldn't help but crack a smile, "Thanks everyone." He almost burst into hysterics at the looks on their faces. "Eren." The kid stood straighter and nodded. "Come on." Levi began walking to his office with Eren following behind.

 

The door shut behind Eren and he fidgeted on his feet. Levi collapsed on the couch and sighed. He sat forward and put his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, Eren." He spoke softly.  
"Huh? For what, Levi?" Eren sounded shocked.

"I feel like I've been a bigger asshole than usual lately. We've barely seen each other, I've barely slept, and I've been a hardass... I hate being so hard on everyone." He responded softly.

He felt the couch dip as Eren took a seat behind him and took Levi's hands in his, forcing Levi to look up. "Things have been rough," Eren conceded, "But we've both been through a lot."

"I was so angry I couldn't help rescue you from Reiner." Levi said, "That's when I started feeling so shitty. I was so mad at Mikasa for disobeying my orders and injuring me, I kept feeling like I could've prevented you being kidnapped." He sighed, "I also had to torture a guy. I had a hard life, but that wasn't my favorite pastime. And then I was confident you'd be fine with that plan to hand you over to the Military Police from Reebs, but then Hange said you'd be eaten. I swear my heart stopped when I heard you under that church proclaiming you wanted to be eaten."

Eren moved to pull Levi into his embrace, and the older man clung to his young lover and sobbed into his shoulder in spite of himself. Eren rubbed soothing circles on Levi's back. "It's alright, Levi. I'm here now, I'm alive. I'm not going anywhere... There's more going on, isn't there?"

Levi nodded and whispered, "My uncle just died... It's a long story and I don't want to get into it, but the man practically raised me."

"Oh, Levi..." Eren breathed and pulled back to gaze into Levi's eyes and wipe away his tears, "I'm sorry about tha---"

Levi cut him off pressing his lips against Eren's. He pulled back a little and gazed into those gorgeous green eyes, "Shut up and just stay with me tonight." Levi said.

Eren looked confused, "You want to, um... Do THAT tonight?"

Levi shook his head, "No, I just need you curled up with me. I need to feel you solidly by my side right now."

Eren smiled, nodded and pulled Levi back in for another hug, "Anything for you, Captain."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm marking this as 'Completed' here, but when more manga pages come out, I may continue it.

With Historia ascending to the throne, everyone from the old government was punished. Erwin, as usual, showed no mercy to them. He claimed it was because they put all of humanity in danger for their own selfish gain, but Levi knew better. Erwin was just a sadistic bastard. The old nobles that caused so much trouble were sent to prison camps, after all. He wasn't sure if it was amusing or not that Erwin insisted on imposing different tax rates based on whether or not an individual supported the Survey Corps.

Despite losing so many people to the civil war, more due to how many were put in shackles and sent away, a lot more was discovered-- Such as the lingering, secret inventions that were supposedly eliminated. They improved their weapons with that knowledge. In the underground area where Eren was kept, there were these orbs of light supposedly by Titan design, and those turned out to make great lamps that consumed no energy. Eren's hardening ability was also discussed as being used as a weapon against the man-eating beasts. This led to new structures that were built into the wall and could crush Titan's before they got a chance to scale the wall.

They were testing that structure. It required human bait inside a crevice, but if the crushing was successful, the human life wouldn't be lost. Eren had also hardened an area within the crevice so the Titans couldn't get all the way in. A twelve-meter Titan was their first guinea pig, and the experiment on the structure was a raving success.

"We did it! We killed a twelve-meter!" Hange called out.

"We did it..." Eren sounded weak and he'd been shaking for the entire experiment. Levi glanced over once Eren spoke and acted quickly upon seeing the blood pouring out of his nose. He knelt in front of the boy and handed him his handkerchief.

"Hold that on your nose until it stops bleeding." Levi said softly. Eren went to tilt his head back and Levi grabbed his hair lightly so he wouldn't, "Oi, don't do that, the blood will run down your throat and make you sick. Tilt your head forward." He never understood why people thought you were supposed to tilt your head back for a nosebleed. It just made more problems arise. 

He was watching Eren with concern when he heard Hangi's concerned 'Eren?!' and he glanced at them before responding, "He's been using his Titan powers too much, and hardening training constantly. We can't expect his body to last forever."

"Sorry Eren..." Hange said.

"Don't apologize, I'm just tired. Let's build more of these so we can kill Titans without getting anyone eaten. Let's make more of these weapons as soon as possible and go to my old basement in Shiganshina." Eren responded. Levi sighed softly but ruffled Eren's hair.He looked shocked by the gesture but didn't say anything.

 

After a few lengthy meetings to report their progress, Levi listened as Hange explained what was in that syringe his uncle had given him. Human spinal fluid that evaporates as soon as it meets air. Obviously it was mixed with something related to Titans. 

Erwin claimed he couldn't take the responsibility to keep the syringe safe until needed, so he offered it to Levi.

"Levi, will you take this on?" Erwin asked.

"Why ask?" Levi responded.

"It's a tough job." Erwin said, "You'll not only be trusted with keeping it safe, but also in who to use it on when the time comes. It's a lot of responsibility. Will you do it?"

"After you realize your dream, what will you do?" Levi asked.

"I won't know until it's realized." Erwin responded.

"Fine, I'll do it." Levi said and picked the box up.

 

Levi wondered what everyone was up to when Eren and the rest of the brats announced they wanted to see Instructor Shadis, but he went with them anyway.   
"He was the twelfth commander, just before Erwin." Levi told them on their ride.

They arrived and everyone gathered around a dining table. There was small talk about how everyone changed.

"I last saw you five years ago." Levi stated, "You've... changed too." He was gonna be blunt and say he was as bald as a baby's ass, but Shadis was already aware of that.

Eren had an outburst asking Shadis to share everything he knew.

The story went something like, he met Eren's father, Grisha, about 20 years ago outside the wall. Grisha had no clue who the Survey Corps was, and he was taken to a jail cell for being outside the walls since he was a civilian. He had a nasty case of amnesia, but could remember his name was Grisha Jaeger and his occupation as a doctor. Grisha met Carla Jaeger, Eren's mother, at a restaurant with Shadis. She was apparently Shadis' favorite waitress, if his reaction was anything to go by.

Carla had come down with something and he brought Carla to Grisha to have her looked at, and after saving her entire family, the two fell in love and later got married. When Wall Maria fell ten years later, Grisha begged Shadis to help find Carla and Eren. They found Eren first, and the boy told his father that Carla had been devoured. Then Grisha spoke of curses and took Eren off into the woods in secrecy, telling Shadis not to follow. After a flash of light, Grisha entered and found Eren passed out by himself. He then took Eren to the shelter and put him to bed. End of story.

Despite the confusion in the room, Levi sat thinking about the implications of that last leg of the story. He ignored most of the conversation except to try to pull Hange out of their accusations that were thrown at Shadis. That wasn't going to help anything.

 

After a meeting in Erwin's office, Levi stayed behind to speak to the man. 

"What happens after we take Wall Maria back and implement defensive measures?" Levi asked bluntly.

"Killing our enemies." Erwin responded, "Someone wants us to be eaten, and I think the answer to who that is will be in the Jaeger's basement. As I said previously, we'll figure it out after seeing inside that basement."

"Will you even make it that far? Right now you're as good as Titan food." Levi responded. "You stay behind and wait for our report, letting Hange take the lead in this. I'll annoy you into submission if I have to."

"No." Erwin responded, his voice hard but Levi didn't flinch. "I'll be bait. This is humanity's most important operation, I've planned the entire thing, I won't let it fail because I wasn't there."

"Your best defense against Titans is your brain. If you die, we'll be finished. I'll break your legs to make you stay behind if I have to." Levi responded. "You won't even be able to piss by yourself."

Erwin laughed, "That would suck. Wounded soldiers probably should stay behind, but I need to be there when our questions are answered in that basement."

"That's more important to you than your legs or the success of humanity?" Levi asked.

"Yes."

"Fine. I'll trust your judgment." Levi stated and then left. 

He was lost in thought as he made his way to the dining hall. The brats were getting meat today for all their good work... Was Erwin really the right person to keep around? He'd rather get answers than preserve humans. He respected Erwin, but it waned a bit after that last conversation. He was a good commander, and he planned well for missions and formations that would give the least amount of casualties, but his judgment was clouded by his desire for answers to questions his father made him ask.

As he came upon the dining hall he heard a ruckus. He walked in calmly, but saw a couple of brats fighting so he made his way over. Once he got closer, he saw it was Eren and that.... Horse faced kid he couldn't remember the name of. His name was a girl's, wasn't it? Janet? Jen? Juniper? Eh, whatever. He kicked Eren in the gut and slammed his elbow into the back of the other kid's head then punched him in the face hard enough he flew backwards.

"You're out of control. Clean up and go to bed." Levi said.

After that, he followed Eren and his two friends. He was worried he overdid it, even though Eren had taken worse from him before.

They had no idea he was following them, he was always good at stealth. They sat down on some steps in front of a building and Levi stood by the doorway inside where they couldn't see him.

"Shouldn't everyone be nicer? It's like everyone just thinks I'll recover, so who cares?" Eren said.

"You started it." Mikasa stated flatly.

"But your energy's back!" Armin said cheerfully.

"I'm glad we saw the Instructor again." Eren said, "I'll finish what I need to do." He exhaed softly, "I'm more relaxed though. I used to wonder and resented that I wasn't as strong as Mikasa. I wondered why I couldn't be strong like her or Levi. However, even they can't do it all on their own. We're strong when we put all our strengths together. That's why people are different, right?"

"Probably." Armin said.

"After we take Wall Maria back," Mikasa said, "Will we really be able to go back to how we were?"

"Not entirely, which is why we need our revenge." Eren said.

"But even after that," Armin said, "There's the ocean! Flaming water, frozen land, and fields of sand! I joined Survey Corps because I wanted to see them." It sounded like Armin stood up abruptly, "Let's see the ocean together! It's water until the horizon, with fish that can't live anywhere else!" Levi silently slid to a sitting position as he listened to Armin's excited rant, "It has to exist, we'll see for ourselves Eren!"

"Yeah, let's go see it, Armin." Eren responded.

He listened as they got up and their voices grew distant. He rested his head against the door he was up against. Seemed all he did lately was think.   
Armin was a smart kid, and had come up with all sorts of strategies they could use. He used to read all the time, and everything he wanted to see possibly did exist out there somewhere. He hoped briefly that they'd all live long enough to see the ocean, especially Eren. His brat deserved something spectacular to see after all this hell he'd been through. He probably needed to head to his own quarters to sleep, since they had a big day tomorrow. He stood with a sigh, and made his way to his own office.

 

They were standing on the wall facing the citizens of Trost and they were spouting empty encouragments. "Captain Levi, capture Wall Maria and return safely!"   
Some of the brats from the 104th Squad yelled back just as excited. It was pathetic, really. He had a short conversation with Erwin about how much support for the Survey Corps increased recently, and then he lifted his good arm and let out a yell of his own, earning a deadpan expression from Levi and Hange both.

On Erwin's command, the horses were let down the wall with their riders on their backs and followed Erwin's lead. Levi glanced behind him, Eren was never far away from him. He was relieved to see that determined expression in his eyes.

They reached the forest by nightfall and the sun didn't begin to rise until they were in Shiganshina. They switched to their 3DM gear on Erwin's command. It was easier to deal with Titans in their gear than it was on horseback. They also had to be wary of Reiner and Bertholdt since they wanted to kidnap Eren. Everyone had their hoods up as they made their way to the wall, in hopes it would take longer to find Eren.

They reached the wall above the gate, but it was weird. There weren't any Titans around. Something felt wrong. This had to be a trap of some kind. That didn't stop Eren from transforming and sealing the hole on the outer wall. He emerged minutes later, Mikasa sweeping him to the wall and giving him her cloak since his fell off at some point. Eren assured everyone he could continue and Levi landed beside him.

"It's not over. Until we kill all of our enemies, this mission isn't over. They could break the barrier as many times as they want." Levi said.

"I understand." Eren responded.

The flare to suspend the mission went off and they hung out on the wall to await further directions. Eren mentioned Armin having an idea what to do. _It's always Armin, isn't it?_

Reiner popped out of the wall and Levi was like a panther ready to strike, he came to Reiner and his sword was shoved into the kid's throat, another into his chest, but Reiner pushed away and fell to the ground. Levi cursed. He'd been so close. Reiner transformed then, probably so he'd be protected enough to heal. Damn it, he should've killed Reiner faster.

Some beastial Titan threw a rock and covered up a hole in the wall. Normally that'd be great, but they needed it for their horses. Just as the Armored Titan was getting up, the Beast released a roar that sent lots of two-to-three Meter Titans their way. Erwin finally gave out orders, Levi and Hange's squads were to take down Reiner.

"Levi, Armin. You two stay. Levi, protect the horses." Erwin said.

"Not Eren?" Levi asked.

"Right. And take down the Beast Titan when you get a chance." He responded.

"Fine. It's compensation for not killing that Reiner brat." Levi said and he headed in the direction of the Beast Titan.

He caught up with the brats protecting the horses and took out two Titans at once. He landed on a roof and started barking orders. He forbade them from dying, as much good as that would do. He grumbled about weaklings and spared a glance to Erwin on the wall. He was just about to resume moving when a roar from the Armored Titan sent a cold chill down his spine and stared off in the direction of the wall that separated him from the other Titan fight going on. A barrel flying through the air caught his attention and a knot formed in his stomach. This was bad. Was that Bertholdt in that barrel?

It was a few minutes, but there was an explosion of light that confirmed his suspicions. The explosion was so large, he could feel the ground shake the roof he was on, and watched Erwin brace against the incoming force. 

He couldn't worry about everyone on that side of the wall, though. He needed to focus on taking down the Beast Titan.

One of his subordinates flew over talking about how they took down the large Titans. "How do we take down the Beast Titan? He's not even moving!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, seems he's missing a pair." Levi grumbled. "Coward."

"You stay and rest, we'll take down the small Titans!" his subordinate responded and took off with a few more of his squad.

Levi huffed a sigh and muttered 'damnit...' That explosion... What's going on? Bertholdt's change was obviously delayed, so did everyone get clear? I need to get over there and find out. 

He barely had time to react as large rocks flew over his head. He braced for the impact on the church he was standing on, the bell in the tower clanging loudly as it was hit and the tower collapsed. He watched in mute horror as his subordinates were crushed by the rocks flying at them. He couldn't stand there, though. He needed to protect the horses, so he flew over to the group that had the horses, "Titans are throwing stones! Take the horses and retreat to the wall, stay hidden!" Levi barked.

He overheard someone mention Erwin and he huffed out another sigh. He didn't want to deal with him right now. Regardless, he turned to his old friend, if you could call him that, and asked "What's going on?"

"It's bad." Erwin responded, "If he keeps throwing stones, the place will be leveled and we'll be unable to hide."

"What about the other side of the wall?" Levi inquired.

"Nope." Erwin sighed, "The Colossal Titan is moving this way, setting everything on fire in the meantime. We'd have to leave behind the horses if the soldiers used the wall to avoid the rocks. We can't retreat here."

"What happened to Hange?" He resisted the urge to swallow a lump in his throat as he continued, "Is Eren okay?"

"I don't know." Erwin responded. "Most were hit by the blast. We've lost a lot of men. All we have left is the Survey Corps recruits, myself, and the Captain."

"Erwin, we need a plan." Levi said. 

Levi looked up at the wall upon hearing a loud thump. "Isn't that Eren? Looks like he was blown away by the Colossal Titan." He spoke softly, his hand forming a fist to contain his anxiety. Eren wasn't getting up. Why wasn't Eren getting up?!

Swallowing, he turned to Erwin, "We need to retreat if you have no plan. Go wake up Eren since he's just lazing about, and make him carry as many people as he can. We'll save people that way." He stopped and turned to the group beside them as they exclaimed the horses ran away. Levi's jaw clenched, "Use the horses as a decoy, make your escape on Eren. I'll fight the Beast Titan."

"That's suicide." Erwin responded.

"Probably, but you and Eren are humanity's last hope." Levi said, "I don't think any of us will make it back alive at this point."

"Unless we can counterattack." Erwin said.

"We can?" Levi questioned. "What the hell took so long to tell me? Spit it out."

"This plan requires the new recruits and myself to sacrifice ourselves for you to get to the Beast Titan." Erwin said, "I need to con these recruits to willingly ride to their deaths," _Tch, of course. Mass suicide for the 'greater good.'_  Levi thought and Erwin continued, "No one will follow if I don't lead. I'll die without knowing what's in that basement." 

"What?!" Levi asked. _Is that all you care about, you bastard?_

"I just want to know what's in the basement. I've only kept on to realize my father's dream. I've lead so many to their deaths. I can only do this to honor their memory" Erwin said.

"Give up that dream, lead the recruits to their death. I'll take down the Beast." Levi responded.

Levi didn't know how he did it, but Erwin convinced the recruits to run to their suicide while trying to blind the Beast Titan to slow down his rock efficiency. They were running toward the big beast while Levi made his way toward the Beast using the smaller Titans he had on either side of him. Levi cut napes one after the other as he flew over to the damn beast.

It was harder than usual to shut down his thoughts as he made his way over. His subordinates were being torn apart by rocks, Erwin probably fell, he didn't know the status of Eren's well being or Hange. Instead of shutting down his thoughts, he allowed them to fuel his hatred for the Beast Titan. 

Levi flew up, finally reaching the hairy Titan. The Beast tried to capture Levi with his hand, but Levi flew around his arm, cutting it into pieces. He then flew over and cut both of his eyes, blinding him. He slashed both the Titan's ankles, forcing him to the ground.

"You were having too much fun!" Levi cried out, "Let's make it better!" He cut up the other arm that was covering the Titan's nape. He slashed the nape open, a man emerging. Levi stuck his sword in the man's mouth. "You can't become a Titan again until this one is healed, right?" He slid his sword into the guys eye and cheek. "Answer me, you rude little shit!"

The Titan's four-legged pet came running over, and Levi jumped out of the way but the Beast Titan's human was taken in the pet's mouth. He presumed to chase him down, yelling about him running away.

The guy yelled out for the Titans to kill Levi, and they all started to run toward the short Captain. "You got me good, Levi!" The guy called out, "I'm hurt but your arsenal is all used up! It's our win!" He exclaimed.

"We'll see. I promised him I'd kill you no matter what." Levi responded.

He took down the Titan's quickly and saw the four-legged Titan take off over the wall at the last minute. Levi took chase, ignoring the steaming blood he was covered in. He needed to get to that bastard and take him down.

He landed on the wall and took a leap down toward the beast. He landed on the rood Eren was on, "I need your gas and blade." Levi stated. Eren was about to comply when he started screaming about Armin breathing. He didn't notice Mikasa land on the roof.

"Captain, the injection!" Eren called. "Give it here!"

Levi sighed. Erwin was probably dead anyway, "Okay." He started to hand it over, Mikasa let a flare go. Another guy came crawling up the roof, though. He had Erwin on his back.

"Captain Levi, finally..." He said. Flocke, wasn't it? "Erwin's in danger. He lacks blood and his insides were messed up. The injection should help."

Levi held the injection to his chest, staring at the roof he was crouched on. What should he do? Erwin was needed for the future of humanity, but Eren would hate him if he let Armin die. Why couldn't he have more than one of these stupid injections? Then again, even if he did, only one would become a shifter after consuming Bertholdt.

Flocke laid Erwin down on the roof, and Levi looked at Eren briefly upon hearing a quiet 'Captain?' Levi checked, "Erwin's breathing." He said softly. "He's alive." Levi stood, he tried and failed to keep his voice from wavering as he spoke, "Erwin will get the injection."

He knew it would happen. Eren was in his face, angry tears filling his eyes. "You said you'd use it on Armin." The tears started streaming down his face.

"I'm saving the world's savior." Levi responded. He heard the sound of a sword, and glanced behind him. Mikasa was coming at him with her sword drawn. Really? Both siblings at once? Couldn't he catch a break. "You two realize you're asking me to let our Commander die. Move aside." Levi said, Eren gripped the box the injection was in. "Ignore your feelings, Eren." Levi said.

"Ignore them? Why didn't you just inject Armin sooner?" Eren asked.

"I thought Erwin might still be alive." Levi responded.

"You couldn't have known Flocke would get the Commander here." Eren exclaimed.

"No, but he's here now. Let go of the injection." Levi tried to pull the box out of Eren's hand, but his hand stayed anchored to it. Levi hated himself for doing it, but he punched Eren in the face and he fell to the side of the roof. Mikasa, naturally, rushed Levi and pressed her sword against Levi's neck, holding him down. She went to grab the injection and Levi spoke up, "Without Erwin, humanity will lose."

"Without Armin..." Eren was half-hanging off the roof and he sounded like he was having trouble speaking, "Things won't change...." He cleared his throat, "Without Armin, we'll lose to the Titans. Sealing Trost gate with a boulder, Annie's identity, operating at night. Those were all Armin's ideas. Dragging Reiner from the wall, and beating the Colossal Titan was all Armin. The 'savior' of humanity isn't me or Erwin, it's Armin!"

"Give me the injection." Mikasa said.

"Commander Erwin will save humanity!" Flocke said.

"Shut up!" Mikasa said.

"I can't. No one's alive on the other side of the wall. Everyone was killed by thrown rocks. Commander Erwin used the recruits as bait so Levi could take down the Beast Titan." Flocke said. "When I found Commander Erwin, I wanted to end it for him, but I wondered if Hell had prepared for him yet. I realized the only one capable of defeating the Titans is a demon! Saving that demon is my mission! I won't let you interfere!" He launched himself at Mikasa, Levi yelled 'stop'.

Hangi, who Levi thought dead, caught Mikasa by her arms. They took in the mess on the roof, "This is how it turned out..." they said softly. Levi took the syringe out, Mikasa screamed. "We can't lose Erwin, Mikasa!" Hange said, "He's the symbol of humanity, we can't let the hope die!"

"Armin could do the same thing!" Mikasa cried.

"The battle will keep going much longer with Armin, Erwin can lead and experi--" They were cut off when Mikasa shoved them back. "I want several hundred others to come back, too, but we're all separated by life and death." Hangi hugged Mikasa from behind, "It's not easy to accept and it's painful. We can't keep clear heads, but we need to keep going forward."

Eren grabbed Levi's ankle, "Captain, do you know about the ocean?" Levi watched Eren's face. His own filled with regret. "It's a huge lake that stretches to the horizon, filled with salt water. Armin told me." Flocke manhandled Eren for his display, "He said we'd see it together. All I cared about was revenge against the Titans for my mother, but Armin was different. Not only did he come to fight, he also wanted to see the world."

"Everyone, scram!" Levi said, "I need to let Erwin eat Bertholdt!" Everyone took off and Eren called out Armin's name as he was flown off by Flocke. Tears streamed freely down his cheeks by now. Levi couldn't ignore the tightness in his chest. He remembered overhearing Armin speak so enthusiastically about the ocean, and Erwin not knowing what to do after seeing what's in the basement. He looked between both men. His head said one thing, his heart another. 

He finally kneeled by Erwin, ignoring his heart this time. Even holding Erwin's arm in his hand, he hesitated, glancing at Armin. Erwin pulled his arm away, causing a shocked gasp to escape Levi's lips. Erwin babbled something Levi didn't understand. _"Give up that dream, lead the recruits to their death."  ....._ _I expected him to die._

With a sigh and a grunt, he stood. He remembered his mother humming and singing 'follow your heart' when he was young. He kneeled by Armin and injected him without another thought, then took off quickly, leaving Bertholdt to be devoured. He landed with Hangi and Flocke on a roof a few buildings away.

As sad as he was about losing Erwin, the things Eren said were right. Things had been the same for so long. Erwin had an ever growing pile of bodies beneath his feet, and he didn't have any ambition after finding out what's in the basement. Levi wondered briefly if Armin could've saved the recruits with a different strategy than Erwin thought up. Maybe he would've suggested killing that pet first, so the Beast Titan couldn't get away. He watched as Armin's Titan crunched on Bertholdt.

"Captain, why choose him?" Flocke inquired.

"Forgive Erwin." Levi said softly, "He became a demon by necessity, and we planned to bring him back to hell after we won. He deserves a good rest. Erwin, the killing of the Beast Titan will be delayed."

"He's gone." Hangi said, Levi nodded. In the distance, Armin formed into a human again.

 

They'd gathered the surviving wounded on the wall, and Levi was giving Eren and Mikasa a lecture about defying orders. They were informed there'd be a punishment. It was a serious offense to ignore a senior officers orders. He dismissed them both and Mikasa ran off, but Eren gripped Levi's sleeve, and Levi turned to look at the boy.

"I just wanted to say..." Eren's voice wavered, "Thank you."

Levi sighed and pulled his arm from Eren's grip. "What you did was inexcusable."

"I know, sir." Eren said, he kept staring at the ground.

"Look, Eren." Levi sighed again, "After that display of insubordination, I need time to think." Eren looked up quickly, his eyes wide, "I think it might be a good idea for us to take a break."

"What?" Eren squeaked out.

"I'm just thinking... The age difference is extremely prominent right now. I need some space." Levi walked backwards from Eren, his eyes apologetic as he saw fresh tears well up in his brat's eyes, but he just couldn't do it. He loved Eren, but he was still his superior. He needed Eren to follow orders when they were in the midst of a battle. He spun on his heel and took a walk on the ruined roads of Shiganshina.

Even Hange was in a foul mood from the Brat Twins disobeying. Levi couldn't read them, maybe they weren't happy Levi chose Armin either. They hadn't really discussed it yet.  
"Speak of the devil." Levi muttered as he saw the glasses-weilder in question fly to him. "What is it, Hangi?" He spoke louder. He couldn't keep the exhaustion from his voice.

"Well... I wouldn't normally question it, but why Armin?" They asked, keeping pace with the vertically challenged Captain.

Levi let out a breath and stopped walking, turning to face Hangi. "Eren made some good points." Hange scoffed and Levi put his hands up in defense, "I know, I know. He went about the situation terribly and he'll be punished for it, as will Mikasa. However, he really was right. Armin has come up with our best strategies the past few months, you can't deny that. He's managed to come up with ideas that result in the fewest casualties."

"He's brilliant, sure, but... Erwin's the commander." They responded.

"Erwin WAS the Commander. You're the Commander now, Hange." Levi continued, "I know this isn't how you wanted to be promoted, and I'm sorry if you disagree with my choice, but I really feel like Armin will be the most helpful. Eren said nothing will change if we choose Erwin. I have to say, I agreed with him. Compared to Shadis, Erwin was great. We incurred fewer casualties with Erwin's strategies. Yet, Erwin was also very reckless. All of our new recruits, save for one, are dead because he preferred a risky counterattack instead of retreating."

"Are you sure you weren't biased because of Eren?" Hangi raised an eyebrow.

Levi let out a sigh. "I don't honestly know. What I do know, however, is that Armin has dreams and ambitions."

"Erwin didn't?" Hangi inquired.

Levi smiled wryly, "He didn't know what he'd do after getting to the Jaeger basement. I went to give Erwin the injection. I really did, but I hesitated and Erwin raised his hand speaking coherent sentences that made no sense in the context." He shook his head. "I hope you can respect my choice. It really wasn't easy."

Hange placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, giving him a small smile. "I'll miss Erwin, but I'll always support your decisions, Levi." They took a deep breath and grinned, "Let's go check on the kiddos, kay?"

Levi nodded and they headed back to the wall. After scaling it, he saw Eren hugging Armin. 

"You're awake." Levi stated.

"Captain." Armin said, "What happened? I don't recall."

"That's expected." Levi stood to shoot off a flare, "Eren, explain to him." Eren refused to meet him in the eye. It was expected, but it didn't lessen the pain in Levi's chest.

After everyone gathered and Eren had finished explaining, Armin was staring at his lap, "So... We're all that's left of the Survey Corps?" He asked.

"For now. We've been searching for survivors for four hours, but..." Jean said.

"We plugged the hole." Armin began softly, "Reiner, the Beast Titan, and some other enemy escaped. Bertholdt was captured." He coughed a little awkwardly at that, "Me and Commander Erwin were both gravely injured and everyone argued who should get the injection, I was turned into a Titan and ate Bertholdt." He turned his head and threw up, Eren handed him a jug of water afterwards. "Why me? Commander Erwin would've been the better choice. Captain, why me?!" He stared at Levi with wide eyes.

"Stupid brat," Levi lightly kicked Eren, "I told you to explain." He turned to Armin, "Your friends disagreed with Erwin being saved and they disobeyed direct orders and caused injuries."

"We'll take any punishment you see fit." Eren said.

"You'll both be punished for violating military regulations." Hange said, "Is it really okay for you to do whatever you want as long as you're disciplined later?" There was a hardness in their voice. Levi understood their frustration, but he felt bad for the brats.

"No..." Eren responded softly.

"The one who ultimately decided was me." Levi said.

"I don't get it. With Commander Erwin dead, what are we supposed to do?" Armin asked.

"I thought Erwin should have been injected too." Hangi said, "However, Levi was given the responsibility and chose you. I can't argue with his decision." They continued much softer, "Erwin's legacy and the Titan powers were given to you, Armin. That also gives you more responsibility, we expect more. You can't go back now."

"I can't... be Erwin's... Replacement..." Armin was obviously overwhelmed and fear had overtaken him. His friends both looked ashamed, Eren more than Mikasa. 

"You can't replace Erwin." Levi said, "But you have new powers now. Don't make me or these two" He put his hands on Mikasa and Eren's heads "or anyone else regret their decisions. Don't reget it yourself either. Just don't fail us."

"Since I'm the new Commander, we're in the same boat." Hange said to Armin. "Let's prepare ourselves for the future. Now, since Armin's okay," They stood, "Let's get a move on. Levi, Eren, Mikasa and myself will look into that basement. The rest of you will stand watch."

 

It didn't take as long as expected to get to the Jaeger house. About twenty minutes, tops. On their way there, Hange spouted off random lines of dialogue that Levi wasn't really paying any attention to.

When they reached the house, they had to lift a couple of beams to uncover the door to the basement. With four of them, it wasn't too bad. It was lucky the basement hadn't been flooded or anything.

Levi led them all down the stairs with a flashlight in hand, Eren beside him. They really hadn't spoken since Levi said he wanted a break.

They reached the door at the bottom, but Eren's key didn't work on the lock. "This key doesn't open the door." Eren said.

"Move." Levi said, pushing everyone behind him and kicked the door in. He pushed the door open all the way and led everyone inside. It was simple. Bookshelves, a desk, boxes filled with what looked like blueprints or schematics.

"Hmm... Regular medicine, medical books..." Hange said, "This room is supposed to fool people with an appearance that says there's nothing to see. It'd be bad to leave something the Military Police would cause trouble over out in the open."

"Don't just stand there brats, keep looking." Levi said.

After a few more minutes, Mikasa spoke into the silence, "Eren there's a keyhole here." She was standing by the desk, the other three joined her. Levi shone the flashlight on the hole, Eren used the key which opened a drawer. He opened it and exclaimed it was empty.

Levi rolled his eyes, "Look again," He stuck his fingers on a corner and the bottom lifted, "False bottom."

"There's three books." Hange said.

"This must be what we're looking for." Levi responded.

It was a photograph and three books.

Grisha wasn't originally from the walls.

 

It was a pretty short trip and they all returned. Mikasa and Eren were placed in underground jail cells for their insubordination. Armin sat outside of them in a chair, to keep them company.

When they arrived at the cells, Eren was in a pose talking to himself and Hange jumped down his throat. "What are you doing?" Levi knew they were on edge, but they seemed to be taking it too far. "The Shingeki no Kyojin, you just did that pose didn't you?" To Eren's quiet 'no' Hange continued, "You did it, didn't you?!!" They turned to Levi and Armin, "You both saw, right?!!"

"Yes, but..." Armin started.

"You did it, Eren! What'd you just do?!"

"No, it's nothing." Eren said.

"Shingeki no Kyojin is the Titan you inherited from your father, right? Nobody was here, why were your talking alone?"

"Hangi, enough." Levi stated firmly. "He's a kid, everyone needs a 'break' at his age." He internally cringed as he saw Eren start crying. He looked much older than fifteen at that moment.

"Huh? A 'break'? I never needed a break to talk to myself!"

Levi sighed, "Hangi, let it go. Not in front of him, I'll explain later." Levi added softly, "If I can explain..."

"What are you talking about?" 

"What are you doing here?!!" Eren exclaimed. He was extremely agitated.

Levi opened the cell door, "Out." He said simply.

"He still has ten days of punishment!" Hange said.

"It's over, Hangi's made you suffer ten days worth." Levi said calmly.

"What I said was that bad?" Hange asked.

"We need to show punishment will follow when someone disobeys the rules." Levi said.

"Commander Zacklay approved this." Hange said. "We can't arrest the heroes who beat the Armored and Colossal Titans. Besides, the one you opposed let the Beast and Armored Titans go."

"The army can't afford to not have you two." Levi said.

"Yes, Mikasa lost more." Hange said.

Mikasa was oddly thin. She hadn't really been eating.

"Hurry and get dressed, we have an audience." Levi said. "Her Highness Historia arrived in Trost."

Within a couple of hours, they were having their audience with Queen Historia and the other governing heads. It was all going in one ear and out the other for Levi. He was too busy lost in thought. 

"IT CAN'T BE!!!" Eren suddenly shouted. Everyone looked at him.

"That scared me, what is it?" Hange asked Eren.

Eren stuttered a bit and then Zacklay prompted him to continue. "It was... nothing. I made a ruckus..." Eren said as he sat back down.

"Huh?" Levi asked. Was he going insane?

"I'm sorry to interrupt." Eren said.

"Well, he seems to be at 'that age', trying to look cool with random screaming." Hange said. Levi had to swallow a laugh. Way to make Eren sound crazy, Hangi.

"'That age' is a shame." Zacklay responded.

The rest of it passed without incident. No more outbursts from Eren, and Levi resumed barely paying attention.

Afterwards, a decision was made. About what, Levi couldn't really say, but he wasn't the Commander, so whatever. He went with Hangi to visit some guys that were head of a newspaper, though. Levi stayed near the window, keeping an eye on the civilians outside. He only mentioned once that they should print about the Survey Corps in a positive light.

They finally returned to the barracks after that, some medals were being given out. Levi made his way toward Eren but stopped short and leaned against the back of a pillar listening to the conversation.

"I know you wanted to save Commander Erwin." Armin said.

"Yeah. All of us thought Commander Erwin was the right choice. They wondered why it wasn't Erwin." Flocke responded.

"What do you know about Armin?" Eren asked.

"Nothing. He's not my friend or anything. He was picked because you two and Captain Levi allowed personal feelings get the better of you. It was an irrational decision, you just couldn't throw away what was important to you." Flocke responded.

"Shut your mouth." Eren said darkly.

"You must always think you're right." Flocke said, "You're like a little kid that won't see reason. At least Mikasa acted like an adult. You gave up in the end."

Jean waltzed up and stood between Flocke and Eren, telling them to give it up and remind them they're having a memorial service. Connie also asked why he was bringing up the past.

"You guys didn't disobey your superiors, you didn't stop your friends either. You just stood there and watched." Flocke sneered, "Medals? A Memorial? Tell the recruits the truth or you'll get cowards joining. What'll you do without Commander Erwin?! I may only be bait, but I still deserve to assess a situation."

"He's right. Commander Erwin should be here, not me. I can't save us, he could." Armin said.

"How are you so sure?" Eren asked. "We won't know if a choice was right or wrong until the situation is done." Levi smirked. His brat was quoting him. "Didn't you see what's beyond the walls?"

"The ocean." Armin said softly.

"Yeah, the ocean. You haven't seen it yet right?" Eren said, "Not just that, but flaming water, frozen lands, plains of sand. There's many possibilities on the other side of the walls. Freedom."

Levi finally moved from behind the pillar, "Brats, line up. It's time."

 

Shortly after that, Levi discussed with Eren that he wanted to end their break. His brat was so happy, Levi couldn't escape him for a few days, but he didn't mind. They both threw caution to the wind and finally bonded each other, their teeth sinking into each others scent marks. Eren was reckless, but Levi loved him to death. He just hoped Eren stuck around for a long time.

 

Levi felt good about his decision to help Armin instead of Erwin. It turned out he was quite helpful with them getting rid of all the Titans within the walls. They were essentially Titan-free within a year. They were finally riding beyond Wall Maria. Barely any Titans remained, the majority were inside Wall Maria and had already been eradicated.  
Eren hadn't cut his hair in that entire year, it was reaching around his shoulders by that time. He also looked exhausted. Was it from Titan training? From insomnia? Who could tell.

They made it to the beach, everyone began playing in the water and sand.

Levi walked closer to Eren, hearing Armin happily talking about how he was right about the ocean.

"On the other side of the walls is the ocean. And on the other side of the ocean is freedom. That's what I believed." Eren said softly. "But I was wrong. There's enemies on the other side of the ocean, this is just like my father's memories. Will we be free if we kill all the enemies on the other side of the ocean?"

Levi walked over to Eren, wrapping his arms around him from behind and resting his chin on his brat's shoulder. Eren had tears falling down his cheeks and he was trying not to sob loudly. "You're welcome to feel free now, brat." Levi murmured. "We'll take down any enemies we come across." He turned Eren to face him and kissed his tears away before lightly kissing his lips and looking him in the eye. "I'll always protect you, Eren Jaeger. I won't let anything happen to you. One day, I promise. You'll be free."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm marking this as 'Completed' here, but when more manga pages come out, I may continue it.


End file.
